DeSantis Reportedly Disappointed By Super PAC, ‘Apoplectic’ Over Leaked Debate Strategy Memo

Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is disappointed with the performance of the primary Super PAC supporting his campaign and lead strategist Jeff Roe, according to the Washington Post.

The PAC, Never Back Down, is a sprawling operation that oversees a field program of door-knockers and university groups in addition to taking to the airwaves with the usual spate of ads.

A DeSantis donor who spoke directly with the Florida governor told the Post that a pre-debate strategy memo leaked online by Never Back Down left the candidate “apoplectic.” The memo, which was released publicly on a website owned by Roe to get around rules preventing direct communication between campaigns and outside groups, was mocked in the media.

Among the advice was a missive about leaping to the defense of frontrunner Donald Trump, who has been brutally attacking DeSantis for the better part of a year now. “Defend Donald Trump in absentia in response to a Chris Christie attack,” read the memo, which even provided a sample line for DeSantis to steal: “Trump isn’t here, so let’s just leave him alone. He’s too weak to defend himself here. We’re all running against him. I don’t think we want to join forces with someone on this stage who’s auditioning for a show on MSNBC.”

From the Post‘s report on DeSantis’s dissatisfaction with Never Back Down:

Tensions spilled out last month just ahead of the first GOP debate after Never Back Down’s debate advice for DeSantis made headlines. Campaigns and their supportive super PACs are legally barred from coordinating on spending and messaging, but super PACs can work around those rules by posting information online that could inform strategic decisions inside the campaign.

The memo urged DeSantis to defend Trump and suggested specific attacks on rivals — which immediately became difficult to use as the New York Times and later other news outlets drew attention to the document. DeSantis distanced himself from the advice and said he had not read it. But other campaigns ridiculed the memo, and Never Back Down founder Ken Cuccinelli soon called the memo a mistake.

A DeSantis campaign spokesman called the contents of the report “totally false” and professed to be “thrilled” by the PAC’s performance, while Never Back Down’s CEO dismissed it as “tabloid trash.”