By ERICK-WOODS ERICKSON
I consider Jake Tapper a friend. I appreciate that he’s a hard-news guy. We don’t see every issue the same way, and we have politely sometimes challenged each other. More than once, Jake has challenged me to be consistent on issues, even if he disagrees with me on the issue. I appreciate his willingness to challenge me and his willingness for me to challenge him.
I think Jake Tapper is owed some appreciation for offering a substantive interview with Governor Ron DeSantis yesterday on CNN. Here’s an excerpt from which you can learn much more than some of the other interviews DeSantis has done lately that have mostly played to the base from the conservative press. This is good.
Notably, the Trump team is attacking the interview as a “softball” interview. But actually, what happened was DeSantis was pretty consistent with his beliefs. He knows what he believes, so he didn’t scramble or wrap himself in contradictions or explain away a bunch of stuff — unlike some people.
Tapper let DeSantis speak. DeSantis spoke in complete sentences with substance. But he also was in a format with a reporter who would force him to land on substance without a filibuster. Tapper was willing to challenge, and DeSantis was willing to be challenged.
We need more of that.
Kudos to Tapper for doing a great interview, and kudos to DeSantis for handling it very well. He needs to do more interviews outside of the conservative media space. He’s got a message to sell and sold it well in this interview.
Also, I think CNN should be commended for doing a substantive interview, not just gotcha journalism. It was fair but probative of DeSantis’s views and seeming contradictions.
In New Hampshire, the latest polling has Trump falling a bit and DeSantis seeming to be headed back up. As DeSantis expands his audience, does more interviews, and focuses on his message more, that trend may continue. It might not be enough to stop Trump, but given enough time and effort, DeSantis might peel away from other candidates and make the case that he really is the best person to stop Trump. If Trump is around 37% in New Hampshire, consolidation can happen.
Given how loudly Trump fans are screaming after that interview, they seem to realize what’s happening too.
