Like others in right-wing media, Spanish-language conservative pundits and outlets are split in their support for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ahead of his impending run for the Republican nomination for president in 2024.
In the 2022 midterms, Florida was the exception to the red wave that never materialized, and DeSantis secured a notable majority among Hispanic voters in his reelection campaign. Now, ahead of the 2024 primaries, conservative Spanish-language media outlets, many of which are based in Florida, disagree over the future of the MAGA movement.
On Americano Media, the conservative media network angling to become the Spanish-language Fox News, popular pundits are broadcasting opposing signals to their growing online and radio audiences.
DeSantis has a better chance of winning than Trump
Emmanuel Rincón, a conservative writer with a history of sharing conservative propaganda, has become an active promoter of DeSantis’ agenda, often sharing clips and translations of the Florida governor’s unofficial campaign speeches and press conferences. This year, Rincón has written at least 6 pro-DeSantis articles for Americano Media and shared well over a dozen translated clips of DeSantis’ speeches with his over 200,000 Twitter followers. Rincón’s recent praise for DeSantis includes:
- In an article profiling the 2024 Republican primaries, Rincón claimed, “DeSantis will have more opportunities to triumph than Trump” since Trump’s brand will make it “harder to sell his candidacy to independent voters.” [Americano Media, 1/4/23]
- Rincón claimed it was “ridiculous” for Trump to “praise Democrats only to attack DeSantis” after the former president posted a video claiming, “Florida was doing great long before Ron DeSanctus got there.” [Twitter, 3/14/23]
- He then went on Univision’s Linea de Fuego to defend DeSantis and even agreed with host Luis Carlos Vélez that DeSantis could “take some votes” and “break ground” with Trump’s base in the Republican Party. [Twitter, 3/15/23]
- After Collin Rugg, co-owner of the right-wing site Trending Politics, criticized DeSantis’ initial silence following the news of former President Donald Trump’s indictment, Rincón came to the governor’s defense. Rincón claimed that “maybe” the Florida governor refused to “denounce the political persecution of Trump” as retribution for the ethics complaint that was raised by a Trump-aligned super-PAC earlier this year. [Twitter, 3/19/23]
Similarly, Emmanuel Rondón — a conservative journalist who recently joined Americano Media from the Florida bilingual conservative publication El American — often praises DeSantis’ dystopian crusades against public education and trans rights in Florida. Earlier this year, Rondón wrote an article criticizing President Joe Biden for speaking out against anti-LGBTQ legislation in Florida and praised DeSantis for defending his efforts to restrict gender-affirming care. The Republican National Hispanic Assembly’s official Twitter account shared Rondón’s Americano Media article. Rondón’s most recent praise for DeSantis includes:
- After DeSantis’ highly criticized interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, Rondón praised the Florida governor for “taking off the gloves” and predicted a “brutal but very entertaining GOP primary is coming.” [Twitter, 3/21/23]
Trump is still “the savior”
Dania Alexandrino, on the other hand, one of Americano Media’s most popular on-air personalities, has been pushing back on DeSantis' candidacy, arguing that he “has yet to prove himself to the rest of the MAGA world” and urging him to “wait until 2028” since he would get “battered” by Trump.
- In discussions with live callers, Alexandrino said that DeSantis “attracts a large number of Democrats and a large number of independents,” adding, “That is precisely why many conservatives do not trust Ron DeSantis and continue to see Donald Trump as the savior and the man who seeks to vindicate the nation.” [Hablando de Frente, 3/6/23]
- In the days leading up to Trump’s indictment, Alexandrino criticized the “propagandist press” for “creating a certain animosity between Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump” but claimed, “This is not the time for Ron DeSantis, [he] must wait until 2028.” [En Perspectiva, 3/21/23]
- Alexandrino also said DeSantis would run the risk of getting “battered” if he enters the race against “the ultimate troll Donald Trump,” adding that DeSantis “will come out of this fight in a lot of pain, with two black eyes and many broken ribs.” [Hablando de Frente, 3/21/23]
- Furthermore, Alexandrino said she believes DeSantis “still has to prove himself to the rest of the MAGA world,” adding that “many swamp creatures” openly endorse him and prefer him over Donald Trump, given his voting record while serving in the House of Representatives. [En Perspectiva, 3/24/23]
Jesus Marquez, another popular Americano Media personality looking to make inroads for conservatives in his home state Nevada, recently argued DeSantis owes much of his political career to Donald Trump and questioned DeSantis’ ability “to fight the deep state”:
- Marquez claimed DeSantis “owes much of his political career” to Trump, adding, “whoever becomes president will have to fight the deep state, and the question is who is better positioned for that work.” [Battleground Americano, 3/22/23]
Other Spanish-language conservative pundits and organizations are also split on DeSantis and his potential challenge to Donald Trump ahead of 2024.
- James Nava, a conservative author who often shares translations of Trump’s speeches and social media posts, claimed many on DeSantis’ team are “manipulators, liars, and opportunists” that “have persecuted Trump with attacks and fake news for seven years.” [Twitter, 2/1/23]
- El American shared an article praising DeSantis for his new book, saying it “breaks records in first week,” topping “Obama, Trump, and Clinton sales.” [Facebook, 3/15/23]
- Popular misinformative YouTube Rafael Capacho translated Alex Sheppard’s tweet mocking DeSantis after a Trump-aligned super PAC filed an ethics complaint against him with the Florida Ethics Commission. [Twitter, 3/15/23]
- Conservative journalist Anthony Cabassa criticized Trump for giving “exclusives to leftist publications” instead of “not fake news sites” after a Trump-aligned super PAC filed an ethics complaint against DeSantis and pitched the story to NBC News. [Twitter, 3/15/23]
- Lexit, a conservative organization advocating for “the Latino Exit from the Democratic Party,” agreed with Jenna Ellis' claims that attacks from the right on DeSantis “boils down to” his opposition to Trump, adding, “DeSantis will still be around long after Trump is gone” and “they’ll regret what they’re doing to him.” [Twitter, 3/23/23]
