Ron DeSantis Catches Heat After He ‘Declined’ to Speak at Turning Point Action

Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is said to have turned down an invitation to speak at Turning Point Action (TPA) in West Palm Beach, Florida, this weekend — a move that has conservatives perplexed. 

Journalist and Turning Point USA contributor Jack Posobiec broke the report in a tweet Monday, stating DeSantis “declined the invitation” from TPA to speak this weekend.

https://t.co/tiPvbi2JFi pic.twitter.com/w67nSmAUn7

— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) July 10, 2023

During a Human Events broadcast on Real America’s Voice on Tuesday, he reaffirmed DeSantis “declined” the invitation, noting Turning Point invited every presidential candidate to speak. Notably, DeSantis has spoken at Turning Point events in the past.

Richard Baris discusses DeSantis not attending Turning Point Action conference: "If you can't stand up at a Turning Point event in your OWN state, then I don't know how you're going to handle the pressures of a presidency." @Jackposobiec pic.twitter.com/jtEuhiMSr1

— Human Events (@HumanEvents) July 11, 2023

Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, shared Posobiec’s tweet, writing, “Too bad!” TPA Chief Operating Officer Tyler Bowyer also retweeted Posobiec and questioned the DeSantis campaign’s strategy. 

Too bad! https://t.co/FQxrH7HUCN

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 10, 2023

I can’t really figure out how they believe a winning strategy is to ignore conservatives in a Primary, but maybe for all other Republicans in all future elections this will be a text book lesson on how not to win a Republican Primary. https://t.co/LZZCTHforG

— Tyler Bowyer (@tylerbowyer) July 10, 2023

“I can’t really figure out how they believe a winning strategy is to ignore conservatives in a Primary, but maybe for all other Republicans in all future elections this will be a text book lesson on how not to win a Republican Primary,” he wrote. 

Conservative commentator Mike Cernovich offered a similar sentiment to Bowyer’s. 

Who told DeSantis to snub Turning Point? Is he afraid they’ll boo him? They wouldn’t. What exactly is the “thinking” going on with his brainiac brain trust of big donor funded advisers?

— Cernovich (@Cernovich) July 11, 2023

“Who told DeSantis to snub Turning Point? Is he afraid they’ll boo him? They wouldn’t. What exactly is the ‘thinking’ going on with his brainiac brain trust of big donor funded advisers?” Cernovich wondered.

DeSantis, who was competitive with former President Donald Trump in many winter polls before announcing his campaign in May, has fallen off dramatically in recent months as Trump has surged, even though the 45th president has been twice indicted in that time. 

While DeSantis will not be at the event, four other Republican presidential candidates are slated to speak, headlined by former President Donald Trump, who has dominated primary polls for months. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who has ascended to third place in multiple polls in recent weeks, is listed as a speaker, as is Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (R) and former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR).

Tucker Carlson, Kirk, Donald Trump Jr., Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) are among a couple dozen or so other big-name conservative speakers set to deliver remarks.