DeSantis reconsiders media strategy as donors grow restless with campaign amid mounting failures: report

ABC News noted that some of the longtime Republican donor factions believe that DeSantis may be able to come out on top of former President Trump in the GOP primary. Despite this, DeSantis has continuously lagged behind the former president in numerous national polls, running far behind results found in many earlier surveys.

A large part of this change in campaign focus includes an adjustment in how the DeSantis campaign will interact with the legacy media, according to the outlet. Many GOP candidates have chosen to appear before these mainstream outlets, including former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. DeSantis, on the other hand, has largely appeared on more friendly outlets. Now, the Florida governor’s campaign is likely to have him join mainstream network interviews and potentially town halls, according to the report.

Such a change would represent a large change in strategy when compared with the campaign’s beginnings.

Hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin has reportedly said to people in private that his patience with DeSantis’ campaign is growing thin, with a source claiming Griffin has “hit the pause button” on backing the Florida governor.

Some other donors appear to be less concerned, including former Trump megadonor Hal Lambert, who countered concerns of a DeSantis campaign slump, saying, “People that are concerned about these polls, I would just say — Trump's poll numbers aren't great in my opinion.”

“I mean, 50 percent? You have half the party that doesn't want you? His numbers should be much higher.”

Lambert said he thinks “the polling will come around,” adding that DeSantis is “not running a campaign to juice polling numbers.”