According to memos made public by the Republican National Committee ahead of a Fox News debate in August, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was instructed to defend President Donald Trump, show emotion, and remain connected to Republican values.
The memo, sent to DeSantis’ staff and obtained by Politico, gave the governor several directives prior and during the debate. One of the instructions was to “Show Passion: The key to success is to show emotion behind your answers. You must appear authentic and let viewers connect with you.”
The memo also provided talking points to defend Trump from criticism and to promote his accomplishments, particularly in the areas of immigration and the economy. It advised the governor to “remember that any attack on [Trump] will be met with a strong defense from you.” DeSantis was also instructed to connect the president’s policies with core Republican values, such as “small government, law and order, individual responsibility, and fiscal discipline.”
The memo further instructed DeSantis to “contrast your messages against those of the Democrats,” to emphasize the accomplishments of his own administration, and to take “advantage of opportunities to promote yourself as a leader.”
It is unclear whether or not DeSantis adhered to these memos during the actual debate, but given that the governor is a strong ally of Trump, it is likely that he used the president’s successes to defend him and promote Republican values.
