Ron DeSantis Faces Backlash After Team's 'Physical Intimidation' of Teen

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has sparked controversy after his security team allegedly subjected a 15-year-old questioner to "physical intimidation."

DeSantis, who has served as Florida's governor since 2019, is currently among the packed field of candidates seeking the 2024 Republican nomination for president. Once seen as a likely successor to Donald Trump as the head of the party, especially after a strong reelection in last year's midterms, DeSantis's presidential campaign has largely floundered since it was officially announced in the spring. The governor has consistently seen his poll numbers dwarfed by the former president, who, according to FiveThirtyEight's national average, leads the pack with over 50 percent support, compared to DeSantis's less than 15 percent.

DeSantis's awkward demeanor in social situations and occasionally hostile interactions with people on the campaign trail have seen many sour on his national political prospects. One such example of this has been the campaign's alleged interactions with 15-year-old New Hampshire resident Quinn Mitchell following his initial interaction with the governor at a June campaign stop in Hollis. The teen told the Daily Beast on Friday that he has been "physically intimidated by DeSantis security at two subsequent campaign stops" after asking DeSantis a question about the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot and Trump's alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

"Do you believe that Trump violated the peaceful transfer of power," Mitchell asked at the June event. "A key principle of American democracy that we must uphold?"

"I can tell you this...we had a transition of power from my first administration to my second 'cause I won reelection in a historic fashion," the Florida governor responded. "And at the end of the day, you know, we need to win and we need to get this done."

DeSantis added: "I wasn't anywhere near Washington that day. I have nothing to do with what happened that day. Obviously, I didn't enjoy seeing, you know, what happened. But we've gotta go forward on this stuff. We cannot be looking backwards and be mired in the past."

The answer, which was deemed by many to be too non-committal in avoiding taking Trump to task, went viral across various news outlets, who called the interaction a flub from DeSantis.

Since then, Mitchell said he has been targeted by campaign security at two subsequent events. At a Fourth of July parade, private security contractors working for DeSantis allegedly "swarmed" and restrained the teen after a brief interaction he had with the governor, which Mitchell described as "intimidation." This incident also escalated to the point that the governor's wife, Casey DeSantis, confronted Mitchell's mother to claim that her son was being dishonest about things, the teen said. Later, on August 19, Mitchell was allegedly tailed by two security guards.

Newsweek reached out to the DeSantis campaign via email for comment.

Speaking with CNN on Friday, Mitchell claimed that he had attempted to apologize to DeSantis at the Fourth of July parade for how their first interaction had gone and give him an opportunity to answer the question properly, but said that the response to him was "definitely physical intimidation."

The Daily Beast's report generated a number of reactions on social media on Friday, with people, including staunch Republican and Trump supporter Laura Loomer, lambasting DeSantis over the situation.

"DeSantis can't even handle a 15 yr old asking an edgy question. DeSantis has ZERO people skills," she wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday.

"Quinn — who's 15 and cannot vote (or drive, yet) — wanted to apologize to DeSantis for 'getting him in trouble' after their 1st exchange went viral. Instead, he got manhandled by security. Casey DeSantis also added insult to injury with this one," Daily Beast campaign reporter Jake Lahut wrote.

Daniel Uhlfelder, a former Florida attorney general candidate, wrote Friday: "DeSantis is afraid of a 15 year old asking him questions."