CNN announced that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a GOP primary candidate, unexpectedly canceled a scheduled interview with anchor Dana Bash on the network’s State of the Union show, just days before the New Hampshire primary. DeSantis had been making numerous media appearances and interviews leading up to the primary in New Hampshire.
The cancellation was communicated less than 24 hours before the scheduled interview, with the network stating that the DeSantis campaign had “cancelled” his appearance without providing a reason. The State of the Union account on X (formerly Twitter) shared the announcement and expressed anticipation for having the Governor on the show in the future.
Earlier in the week, DeSantis seemed to acknowledge a potential defeat to former President Donald Trump in the upcoming primary, stating in an interview with Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto that Trump was “running away with it in New Hampshire.” Trump, having secured 51% of the vote in the Iowa Caucus, was leading in New Hampshire with an average support of 49.7%, according to RealClearPolitics.
In addition to the cancellation on CNN, DeSantis also reportedly canceled plans for an interview on Meet The Press, as reported by NBC News anchor Kristen Welker. DeSantis’s campaign attributed the cancellations to a last-minute schedule change, explaining that the governor would be speaking in New Hampshire.
The abrupt cancellations have raised questions about the reasons behind the decision and have added an element of intrigue to DeSantis’s campaign dynamics as the primary in New Hampshire approaches.
