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Ron DeSantis<\/strong><\/a> has not yet announced he will run for president, but based on the reasonable assumption that he<\/a> will<\/a>, there\u2019s one big question that keeps coming up around his odds of making it to the White House: Will voters take to a guy who has the charm of a protein bar? Donald Trump<\/strong> and his allies are trying their very best to make sure the answer is a resounding \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Politico\u2019s Meridith McGraw<\/strong> reports<\/a> that as part of its quest to damage DeSantis going into the primaries, Team Trump plans to highlight the \u201cpersonality factor\u201d or, in the case of the governor of Florida, the lack thereof. According to the outlet, sources close to the ex-president say DeSantis \u201ccan be awkward and mechanical in public, and note he has largely avoided the press.\u201d\u00a0And, to be fair, they\u2019re not the only ones who\u2019ve noticed this. In January, reporter Jonathan Martin<\/strong> wrote<\/a> that \u201cthe early rap on DeSantis from his fellow Republicans is that, for all his smarts and shrewdness, he lacks charm, and is either unwilling or unable to submit to the longstanding rituals of retail politics,\u201d with donors noting his apparent inability for \u201cforging connections with people.\u201d The same month, New York Magazine<\/em>\u2019s Ed Kilgore<\/strong> questioned<\/a> if DeSantis can \u201ccompete with Donald Trump\u2019s sinister charisma.\u201d And in a big profile of the Florida governor published in September, my colleague Gabriel Sherman<\/strong> summed up<\/a> DeSantis\u2019s \u201cpolitical future\u201d as hinging on the question: \u201cCan he lead the Trump cult of personality with no personality?\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, the issue with DeSantis\u2019s lack of charisma or charm is that he\u2019s not just<\/em> a blob in a boxy suit; he\u2019s also a jerk. As Sherman reported last fall:<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest complaint you hear about DeSantis is that he never says thank you,\u201d a veteran GOP strategist said. \u201cPeople host events where donors give him enormous sums of money, and he never says thank you.\u201d While reporting this profile, more than a dozen GOP donors, elected officials, and former DeSantis staffers predicted that DeSantis\u2019s combative temperament would be a serious liability if exposed to the white-hot glare of a presidential campaign. People describe DeSantis\u2019s personality as a mix of extreme arrogance and painful awkwardness. \u201cHe\u2019s missing the sociability gene,\u201d a prominent Republican said, relaying an oft-stated critique. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t do the warm and fuzzies well. I was at a fundraiser in DC where he was like two hours late. Everyone was like, What the fuck?\u201d recalled a GOP strategist.<\/p>\n DeSantis\u2019s offices have earned a reputation as very unhappy places to work. \u201cWhen you work for Ron, he makes you feel like you\u2019re just lucky to be there,\u201d a former gubernatorial aide said. \u201cI once had to drive him to the airport. We got stuck in traffic for an hour, and he didn\u2019t say a word,\u201d a former congressional staffer told me. \u201cI describe him as having the personality of a piece of paper.\u201d Last year, Politico reported ex-DeSantis staffers had formed a \u201csupport group\u201d to commiserate over their bruising experiences. \u201cHe\u2019s a terrible bully,\u201d a past adviser said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n