“DeSantisworld Doesn’t Really Exist”: News Outlets Are Trying to Get a Handle on Ron DeSantis

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“DeSantisworld Doesn’t Really Exist”: News Outlets Are Trying to Get a Handle on Ron DeSantis

While Donald Trump dominated this week’s political news cycle over possible charges coming in the Stormy Daniels hush money case—and got Fox News back in his corner—another Republican 2024 contender, Ron DeSantis, remains on the minds of newsroom leaders. Charlotte Klein reports how news outlets are staffing up in anticipation of a run by DeSantis, who is known to keep his circle of advisers close—and the press far away.

Also on the DeSantis front, Katherine Eban reported on the Florida governor’s “plan to ride anti-vaxxism to the White House,” while Chris Smith took a look at Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg. Plus, before you tune into Succession tomorrow night, check out Joe Pompeo’s sit-down with executive producer Frank Rich.

—Michael Calderone, editor

“DeSantisworld Doesn’t Really Exist”: News Outlets Are Trying to Get a Handle on Ron DeSantis

The Florida governor keeps his advisers close—and the media at arm’s length. Now, as 2024 buzz picks up, news organizations are jockeying for journalists who may give them a leg up. If you’re “wired into Tallahassee,” says one reporter, “you’re more valuable.”

Trump’s Legal Peril Has Fox News Pundits Back in His Corner

Top stars like Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham have suddenly stopped snubbing the former president, who now potentially faces imminent charges from the Manhattan DA.

Inside Ron DeSantis’s Plan to Ride Anti-vaxxism to the White House

He was for the COVID-19 vaccines before he was against them, but now Florida’s governor is all-in on vaccine skepticism—and hoping to use the issue to outflank Trump on the right.

Alvin Bragg Is Known as a Sharp, Methodical Prosecutor. Can He Handle the Politics of a Trump Indictment?

As the Manhattan DA weighs criminal charges against the ex-president, one former senior law enforcement official says Bragg will also need to treat it “like a political exercise.” Prosecutors who don’t will “usually get in trouble.”

“How Fucking Lucky Am I?”: Frank Rich Bids Farewell to Succession

On the eve of Waystar Royco’s final voyage, the executive producer and former Times columnist treated us to a wide-ranging gab session over lunch at Barney Greengrass.