Sirius XM host Megyn Kelly delivered a monologue Friday tearing into Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ error-ridden campaign launch the previous evening.
DeSantis’ kicked off his campaign in a Twitter Space with Elon Musk, who purchased the social media platform in Oct. 2022, but the Space crashed when it initially launched at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, delaying the announcement for around half an hour. The Florida governor eventually used the Space to officially announce his presidential bid and answer questions from other participants.
Kelly called the governor’s launch “an epic fail,” describing it as “embarrassing” and “awkward.”
“It was indeed a failure to launch and it is dominating the news coverage today, the result of an unnecessary, unforced error on DeSantis’ part,” Kelly said.
She blamed the glitches on Musk and his staff, but criticized DeSantis’ team for not making sure the Twitter Space would run smoothly. (RELATED: ‘It Was A Hot Mess’: ‘The View’ Ridicule DeSantis’ Twitter Space Glitch, Says Elon Musk Should Not Be In Tech)
DeSantis and his team credited the glitch to the hundreds of thousands of participants who joined the Space simultaneously and met the governor’s new campaign launch with “so much enthusiasm.”
Kelly, a former Fox News host, appeared dumbfounded by DeSantis’ approach to the Space. She criticized the governor for taking negative questions voters likely were not previously aware of, and then taking “softball” questions from “diehard” fans.
“What came next was boring, cringey, and downright uncomfortable,” she said of the DeSantis fans “softball” questions.
She added that DeSantis’ official video announcing the campaign seemed bland.
“Where is the Freddie Mercury moment on the other side of the curtain, with all the fans cheering and excited to be with him? Or how about just shots of DeSantis connecting with real life voters? Gladhanding with a smile, holding the hand of a concerned voter somewhere? Talk about a missed opportunity! Especially for a guy who’s already suspected of lacking the personal touch one needs to succeed in presidential politics.”
She then warned DeSantis faces a tough race against former President Donald Trump, who is currently the Republican frontrunner.
“He is up against a man whose voters who love him, who is up over DeSantis right now by anywhere from 30 to 45 points and who has the advantage of already having been a sitting president,” she said.