Help keep Salon independent

DeSantis talks “s**t show” debates and cowboy boots on “Real Time with Bill Maher”

"I was the one guy that people said was actually acting like a president," DeSantis boasts to Maher

Senior Culture Editor

Published

GOP candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a news conference at the Long Beach Grain Terminal in the Port of Long Beach on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
GOP candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a news conference at the Long Beach Grain Terminal in the Port of Long Beach on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

During the first episode of “Real Time with Bill Maher” post-WGA strike, Florida Governor and “job candidate” for Republican president in 2024, Ron DeSantis, sat for a back and forth in which he touched upon the upcoming election and the debates leading up to it.

Exchanging toothy smiles with Maher — who immediately asked him for feedback on his opening monologue — DeSantis threw him a bone saying it had him laughing, and then went into a completely unrelated plug on the state of Florida, making mention of its lax COVID-19 vaccination mandates. 

“But people do wear cowboy boots with a suit,” Maher joked, in reference to his guest’s signature footwear — missing the bigger opportunity for a joke there, which would have been to point out the heels on said boots. 

After some awkward banter about cattle ranches, Maher made a tight turn to bring up this week’s GOP presidential candidate debate, which he referred to as a “s**t show.”

“I heard you won,” Maher said. “What did you win? Honestly, with Trump not in the race, what did you win?”

Quoting himself in the old, “Trump’s missing in action” thing he said during the debate, DeSantis takes the ball he’s handed there and spikes it into the dirt, saying, “I was the one guy that people said was actually acting like a president.”

To summarize the rest, DeSantis thinks he’s got a real shot here. To that, Maher highlighted that if the campaign was going as well as he thinks, they wouldn’t have been able to get him for the show.

Watch below:

 

 

By Kelly McClure

Kelly McClure is Salon's Senior Culture Editor, where she helps further coverage of TV, film, music, books and culture trends from a unique and thoughtful angle. Her work has also appeared in Vulture, Vanity Fair, Vice and many other outlets that don't start with the letter V. She is the author of one sad book called "Something Is Always Happening Somewhere." Follow her on Bluesky: @WolfieVibes

MORE FROM Kelly McClure

Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Related Articles