“The View” co-host Ana Navarro praised Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during a CNN appearance Monday.
Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday as a Category 3 storm. DeSantis has drawn widespread praise for his response to Idalia, with the Orlando Sentinel writing that the hurricane “allowed the governor to show leadership by responding to a crisis under pressure.”
In response to a question, Navarro agreed that DeSantis should place more emphasis on his disaster management abilities as his presidential campaign continues to struggle.
“I’ve always wondered why he didn’t leverage that more. Listen, I don’t like Ron DeSantis — it’s no secret — and I think he has been an effective leader when it comes to disaster management,” Navarro said. “I think that through the hurricanes here, through the building collapse in Surfside in South Florida, he has been good at that. I recognize that. I like that from him. It’s one of the few things I like.” (RELATED: EVs Exposed To Salt Water Flooding From Hurricane Idalia Are Catching Fire)
Navarro went on to criticize DeSantis for being “awkward, antisocial” and “not really having friends,” and accused him of “banning the alphabet.”
“You only got one chance to make a first impression, and he’s made that first impression as a guy who was anything but likeable” she continued, assessing the governor’s ongoing presidential campaign.
The current Real Clear Politics polling average has former President Donald Trump at 53.6 percent with DeSantis in a distant second at 14.3 percent.
In 2022, President Joe Biden praised DeSantis’ response to Hurricane Ian.