A video purporting to show Florida Governor Ron DeSantis faltering when asked whether or not he would serve a full four-year term if he is re-elected has been viewed more than 3 million times on social media.
In the video taken during a recent debate, Mr DeSantis’ Democratic opponent, Charlie Crist, intimates that Mr DeSantis is planning to run for the presidency in 2024, and presses him on whether or not he plans to serve a full term as governor if he’s elected.
"Ron, you talk about Joe Biden a lot. I understand. You think you’re going to be running against him. I can see how you might get confused," Mr Crist said. "But you’re running for governor. And I have a question for you. Why don’t you look in the eyes of the people of the state of Florida and say to them if you’re reelected, you will serve a full four-year term as governor. Yes or no?"
The camera cuts to Mr DeSantis, who is standing quietly at the podium and does not offer an answer. The question was met by laughter and applause from the audience.
"It’s not a tough question," Mr Crist continued. "It’s a fair question, and he won’t tell you."
The clip ends at that point, with Mr DeSantis seemingly unwilling to answer the question. That specific clip was widely shared on social media and garnered more than 3 million views and many critical responses.
However, the clip is an isolated moment during the debate and lacks important context. Neither of the candidates agreed to ask each other questions while on stage, according to CNN, which may have contributed to Mr DeSantis’s refusal to engage.
The Republican governor did engage with the question, but it was cut from the widely shared clip. Once Mr DeSantis established it was his turn to speak, he responded.
"Well I know that Charlie is interested in talking about 2024 and Joe Biden, but I just want to make things very, very clear, the only worn out old donkey I’m looking to put out of pasture is Charlie Crist," he said.
That response earned Mr DeSantis applause and laughter from the crowd, and even a smile from Mr Crist himself.
However, the Republican still did not actually answer Mr Crist’s question — he never committed to serving a full four-year term as governor if he is re-elected.
Mr Crist even asked the governor about his willingness to commit to a full term later in the debate, and Mr DeSantis dodged again, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Though Mr DeSantis is frequently touted as a possible 2024 presidential contender in the political press, the governor has been generally coy on the subject.
When asked by Fox News in June if he was planning a run, he refused to give a firm answer.
"The interesting thing about me is people will always inject my name into it, just based off what I’m doing in Florida," he said. "It’s a little bit different for me. I think there’s obviously people that, the minute 2020 ended, have been basically running, and they’re going around doing all that stuff. That’s just not what I’ve been doing. I’ve just been focusing on the task at hand."
The Washington Post reported that numerous donors asked Mr DeSantis about his 2024 plans at a fundraising event in September, and that he offered the same, vague response to those questions.
"I’m governor of Florida, and I’m running for re-election in Florida," he reportedly said.
