Politico is eager to get the war started between Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis, posting tabloid headlines like, “DeSantis snaps back at Trump: I got reelected.” That’s hardly how it came out, but it got Politico a lot of clicks.
Politico is treating DeSantis as if he’s already declared his candidacy for president and interviewed Matt Dixon, Politico’s Tallahassee-based Florida bureau chief, to see how things are in DeSantis’ inner circle. One thing the interview focused on was DeSantis’ communications team — Politico doesn’t like that they grab screenshots of the press’ biased inquiries and post them on Twitter.
Charlie Mahtesian writes:
The governor’s communications staffers are known for their confrontational, pugilistic style. Is that a fair assessment? Is that something he encourages?
Calling them confrontational does a disservice to the word confrontational. Under DeSantis, the institution of public communications has been upended. It previously was an area that always had some healthy tension between reporters and communications staff, but now the creation of tension is the point, as opposed to an occasional byproduct. DeSantis’ communications team has openly boasted about how it’s not their job to help members of the media, and are well known for taking screenshots of reporter questions and posting them on Twitter, a habit that only makes the relationship worse. Stories that they disagree with often end up as standalone headlines on right-wing websites or Fox News, and then will be endlessly retweeted and circulated by the community of Twitter trolls they have helped cultivate.
We’ll admit, we’ve done a few posts on DeSantis’ team calling out the media.
Politico? More like PolitiCOPE 😂 pic.twitter.com/AyihWqtzjA
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) February 1, 2023
😂 Matt Dixon should cry more. pic.twitter.com/DSztafu5so
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) February 1, 2023
"taking screen shots of questions and posting them"
This is an issue because….????
— KSB (@KSBruno9) February 1, 2023
Because then everyone can see how misleading and biased @Mdixon55 and other journalists' questions are
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) February 1, 2023
Maybe if they weren't professional pathological liars there would not be such a level of tension
— Edgar Beltrán ن (@edgarjbb_) February 1, 2023
Sounds like a “cry more” kind of conclusion right there … 😎
— Matt Vespa (@mVespa1) February 1, 2023
BREAKING: @politico tells @politico that @politico isn't treated nicely enough because @politico sends emails that @politico doesn't want the world to see.
— Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) February 1, 2023
Good God, not screenshots….NOT SCREENSHOTS!
— Allan (@AllanRicharz) February 1, 2023
“THEY ARE EXPOSING OUR BIAS!”
— Jeremy Redfern (@JeremyRedfernFL) February 1, 2023
Yes, MOOAARRR please @ChristinaPushaw pic.twitter.com/jAj4COx2oQ
— Andrew Gustafson (@AndrewGustafson) February 1, 2023
If publicly posting screenshots of the stupid questions and ridiculous conditions the media emails you "makes things worse," that's a clue they should reconsider the stupid questions and ridiculous conditions.
— Matt Braynard (@MattBraynard) February 1, 2023
“Healthy tension” here means we used to unfairly and mercilessly pound them and they never fought back. Now they’re punching back, hard, and “the institution of public communications has been upended.”
— Alberto de la Cruz (@albertodelacruz) February 1, 2023
Exactly.
For most of the media, their idea of “healthy tension” is Republicans and people on the right taking abuse and smiling.
They can’t stand the fact that in the digital age, the rules have changed.
Actions, meet consequences.
— Mike Breslin (@MikeBreslin815) February 1, 2023
Where’s the healthy tension in reporting on President Biden’s ice cream order?
This is so beautiful. God bless DeSantis and his whole crew
— _ (@ms75015577) February 1, 2023
Would they say the same of press secretaries who get combative but are not on the right – or would they be characterized as flustered, frustrated, helplessly antagonized?
— Courtney O'Dell (@sweetcsdesigns) February 1, 2023
Who knew that activists masquerading as journalist's kryptonite would be… Screenshots and publicity? pic.twitter.com/73DLfqFgpW
— Magnus (@JacksonTDawes) February 1, 2023
It’s one thing to be tough, but they openly lie (don’t say gay, book banning etc). Let them back when they do their job and not the job of the DNC.
— Bleu Cheque (@VERBAL_CHANCLA) February 1, 2023
“Why is Gov. DeSantis banning teachers from saying the word ‘gay’?”
Have you advised kickboxing, wine and crying yet?
— Laura Rosen Cohen 🪬 🪬 🪬 (@LauraRosenCohen) February 1, 2023
We believe it was, “go to a kickboxing class, have a margarita.”
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Related:
Christina Pushaw’s response to WaPo reporter’s request for an interview is absolute perfection https://t.co/4izLfnXqXD
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) April 20, 2022
