Jake Tapper Reveals He’s Scored a Rare 1-on-1 With Ron DeSantis: ‘We Obviously Have Quite a Bit to Discuss’

Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL), in the two months following his 2024 campaign launch, has not done interviews with the major broadcast and cable news outlets — other than Fox News. But that’s about to change.

On Sunday, CNN’s Jake Tapper announced he’s scored a rare 1-on-1 with the Florida governor, which will take place in South Carolina and air Tuesday afternoon during Tapper’s regular 4 p.m. timeslot.

“I hope you’ll tune in,” Tapper said. He added, “We obviously have quite a bit to discuss.”

Until now the DeSantis campaign has avoided the major networks, save for Fox News. But speaking with the New York Post about the decision to sit down with Tapper, DeSantis campaign spokesperson Bryan Griffin claimed it is not reflective not a change in strategy, and that the plan has always been for the governor to participate in interviews like Tuesday’s with Tapper.

“The corporate media has gotten a lot wrong, and many outlets have an agenda. Therefore, we don’t consider them entitled to time or access,” Griffin said. He added, “Nonetheless there are many good journalists and truth-seeking reporters, including in mainstream media outlets, and we will work with them on our terms.”

Still, this new tactic comes amid lagging poll numbers and a camapaign staff shake-up. Real Clear Politics, which averages all recent polls, shows the governor stuck around 20 percent — well behind former President Donald Trump, who leads the way with 53. And on Saturday, Politico reported that DeSantis has let go of a handful of staffers (which the outlet reported to be fewer than 10) in an effort to cut costs. The governor did take in $20 million over the first six weeks of his campaign, but reportedly spent roughly $8 million over that same stretch.

Watch above, via CNN.

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