Topic: Newsmax
Despite being total Donald Trump sycophants, Newsmax surprisingly promoted Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign announcement on Twitter. A May 23 article by Eric Mack favorably touted it, an article the next day by Solange Reyner featured Texas politician Rick Perry calling it "pretty cool" in a Newsmax TV appearance, and even perpetually wrong Newsmax pundit Dick Morris stated that it was a good move. But Mack also wrote a pre-launch article featuring Trump's political action committee attacking the launch as "one of the most out-of-touch campaign launches in modern history."
After the glitch-filled launch, however, Newsmax changed its tune. Mack touted the issues in a May 24 article:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' Twitter Spaces 2024 GOP presidential campaign launch failed, but he tweeted his announcement before the technical issues and embarrassment for the candidate and Twitter CEO Elon Musk.
"I'm running for president to lead our Great American Comeback," DeSantis tweeted Wednesday before his Twitter Spaces campaign presentation, which started with technical difficulties and was crippled for more than 20 minutes after the scheduled launch.
[...]
The original Twitter Spaces link ended after 21 minutes and 17 seconds. Musk tweeted another event, but it was not immediately available.
The event kicked back up at an undisclosed location on Twitter, with DeSantis reading his opening remarks off what sounded like a prepared script. More disparaging articles followed:
- Mike Huckabee to Newsmax: Tech Glitches Hurt DeSantis' Chances
- Rep. Gaetz Trolls DeSantis' Twitter Announcement
- Devin Nunes to Newsmax: Likely 'Last' Twitter Campaign Launch
- Twitter's Engineering Director Out After DeSantis Hiccup
- Trump Jr.: DeSantis Makes Jeb Bush Look 'High Energy'
- AOC: More Watched 'Among Us' Than DeSantis LaunchReports: Twitter Cuts, Server Woes Led to DeSantis Glitches
There was also a May 25 article by Mack repeating DeSantis spinning away the glitches during a Newsmax TV appearance. But again, this is Trump Central, so Newsmax made sure Trump got his licks in. First up was a May 24 article by Michael Katz:
Former President Donald Trump joined the chorus of critics who roasted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday for multiple technical glitches that hampered the unique launch of his candidacy on Twitter for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
"'Rob,' My Red Button is bigger, better, stronger, and is working (TRUTH!), yours does not! (per my conversation with Kim Jung Un, of North Korea, soon to become my friend!)," Trump posted on his Truth Social account.
Trump added another post on Truth Social showing a video of him at a rally interspersed with a shot of Elon Musk's account in Twitter Spaces with the caption "Preparing to Launch." A voice can be heard saying things such as, "We are kind of melting the servers." And he posted another video titled "Ron! 2024."
Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for Trump's MAGA Inc. PAC, tweeted: "Ron DeSantis's campaign announcement is a historic train wreck. #Trump2024"
That was followed by a May 25 article by Sandy Fitzgerald featuring more trashing from Trump:
Former President Donald Trump, after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's campaign announcement Wednesday, tore into him with a series of posts to his Truth Social account, mostly ridiculing the GOP governor's glitch-filled Twitter Spaces launch with billionaire owner Elon Musk that added a 20-minute delay to the proceedings.
"I know Ron," Trump said in one post. "The way he handled his announcement, he will handle the country!"
In another post, the former president quipped: "Is the DeSantis launch FATAL? Yes!"
[...]
The final post of the night came with a mocked-up "Twitter Spaces" page featuring generated voices of DeSantis, Musk, Adolph Hitler, George Soros, World Economic Forum Chair Klaus Schwab, Dick Cheney, Satan, and an FBI agent offering commentary through a "campaign launch."
At the end of it, a voice representing Trump pops in, saying "The devil, I'm gonna kick your a** very soon. Hitler, you're already dead. Dick Cheney, sounds like you'll be joining Hitler very soon. Ron DeSanctimonious can kiss my big, beautiful 2024 presidential a**."
Nicole Wells followed with a May 25 article noting that DeSantis planned to visit several states "following a glitch-plagued Twitter Spaces campaign launch," and he also appeared on Eric Bolling's Newsmax TV show later that day.
