DeSantis is confronted about his campaign's admission it is 'way behind' in the polls against Trump

Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo tore into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday as he continues to fall behind in national polls.

'What's going on with your campaign?' she asked the Republican presidential candidate on Sunday Morning Futures. 'There was a lot of optimism abut you running for president earlier in the year... What happened?'

She then referenced a recent Politico Playbook item entitled Failure to Launch, in which a DeSantis super PAC official admitted 'we are way behind in the polls.'

The Florida governor trails rival Donald Trump by 32 points in the RealClearPolitics polling average. The former president also leads in the key early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

But DeSantis laughed off the problem, saying he knew it would take 'a lot of toil and tears and sweat' to win.

FOX News host Maria Bartiromo tore into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for his stalling presidential campaign on Sunday

The Republican presidential candidate laughed off polls showing he is trailing former President Donald Trump, saying he knew it would take 'a lot of toil and tears and sweat' to win

'Maria, these are narratives,' the Florida governor said of the news that he is trailing in the polls. 

'The media does not want me to be the nominee,' he claimed. 'I think that's very, very clear. Why? Because they know I will beat Biden. But more importantly they know I will actually deliver on all these things.'

He insisted 'we're doing what it takes to win.'

'I never expected to just snap fingers, and all of a sudden, you know, you win seven months before anyone happens,' DeSantis said. 'You got to earn it and you got to work. And it requires a lot of toil and tears and swear. And we're going to do that.'

But Bartiromo doubled down, citing recent polls showing the Florida governor failing to catch up to former President Trump's lead, which she blamed on 'corruption and the unfairness of our justice system.

'What are you going to do about the FBI working with Twitter to censor information, amplify lies and suppress truth?' she asked, claiming: 'Americans are sick and tired of the corruption they see in plain sight.'

In response, DeSantis vowed to 'end the weaponization of government' saying the United States would once again 'have one standard of justice' under his presidency.'

At that point, the FOX News host decided to close out the interview by asking the governor if he plans to participate in the GOP primary debate on August 23.

'Of course, I look forward to doing it,' he said. 'I think really, Maria, that's when people are really going to start paying attention to the primary.

'I think up to this point, a lot of that has been about some of these legal cases,' he explained, apparently shifting the attention to Trump's recent indictments. 'And I think a lot of the voters [are concerned] about that, and understandably so.'

But by the time of the debate next month, DeSantis said he believes the focus will shift to policy matters.

'We're going to be able to talk about the vision, and I look forward to doing it,' he said. 

'So I'm glad we're going to get started.' 

The Florida governor has been on the ground campaigning in recent weeks. He is pictured here with his wife, Casey, walking in the July 4th parade in Merrimack, New Hampshire

Questions have been swirling about DeSantis' ability to secure the GOP nomination. Pictured: DeSantis, joined by his wife Casey and their children, walks in a Fourth of July parade on July 4, 2023, in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

DeSantis' comments come as speculation mounts about the Florida governor's ability to secure the GOP nomination.

On Saturday, Steve Cortes — who heads one of the largest super PACs for DeSantis — admitted to Politico: 'Right now in national polling, we are way behind.

'It's an uphill battle, but clearly Donald Trump is the runaway frontrunner.'

Several pundits across the country have also suggested that DeSantis' campaign may be in trouble, citing the fact that some of the key strategists who helped him win his first bid for governor are not helping him in this election.

Additionally, Florida GOP strategist Ford O'Connell claimed the governor is too inexperienced to run for national office.

'The mistake [the campaign] made — and again, it's a mistake most people running for a new office make — they assume people know more about Ron than they actually do,' he told The Hill.

Meanwhile, reporters for the Miami Herald suggested the problem is that DeSantis can't differentiate himself from Trump.

'Some of his plans match what Trump has already proposed, and others echo what he already did as president,' the newspaper opined.

Some pundits claim DeSantis has not been able to distinguish himself from former President Donald Trump (pictured last month)

But Kristin Davison, the COO of Never Back Down — another major DeSantis super PAC — denied that DeSantis is out of the race.

'This is a narrative that's similar to 2016 when people said, "There's no way that Donald Trump could win." They were missing what's happening on the ground... that's what's happening with DeSantis,' she told the Politico Playbook. 

'Everyone's kind of missing the moment.'

'Look at Obama and Clinton,' Davison continued. 'In mid-2007. Clinton was the inevitable nominee, Obama was stagnant. Even in the fall of 2007, everyone said Obama is dead. 

'What they were missing is that Obama had an organization on the ground that no one was paying attention [to], which is exactly what we're doing with DeSantis.'