DeSantis to sit for interview with CNN’s Tapper on Tuesday

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) will sit down for an interview with CNN this week, his first time appearing on the network since launching his presidential campaign earlier this year.

DeSantis will sit down with Jake Tapper on Tuesday for an interview that will air at 4 p.m., the network announced on Sunday.

The Florida governor launched his presidential bid in May, and he has largely avoided interviews with media outlets other than Fox News and other conservative organizations. His CNN appearance comes amid a shake-up of campaign staff as DeSantis seeks to gain traction with voters and narrow former President Trump’s lead in the polls.

DeSantis’s campaign let go of fewer than 10 employees last Thursday, primarily from its event-planning team, as was first reported by Politico. A campaign spokesperson said the decision would help boost the governor’s chances of defeating President Biden if DeSantis wins the Republican nomination.

But the shuffling of staff is likely to feed into concerns among Republican donors and others that DeSantis is struggling to break through in a crowded GOP primary field and solidify himself as Trump’s main rival.

DeSantis raised $20 million in the second quarter after only being in the race for six weeks, according to his Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing, the second-biggest haul among Republican candidates behind only Trump.

But NBC News reported that DeSantis spent $7.9 million in the first six weeks of his campaign.

DeSantis has recently turned his sights on early primary and caucus states, spending the last two days campaigning in Iowa. The governor’s team believes he is gaining momentum in the Hawkeye State, particularly after Trump attacked Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) and skipped a major evangelical gathering this week.