Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is adept at handling the media.
He made his mark handling anything thrown at him.
But Ron DeSantis was shocked when Fox News asked him one question he never saw coming.
The first Republican Presidential Primary debate hosted by Fox News was a showdown of all the top contenders together except for former President Donald Trump.
The debate kicked off with a question that no one could have ever predicted by host Martha MacCallum.
The first question of the night went to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis where he was asked about the viral hit song “Rich Men North of Richmond” by Oliver Anthony.
“As we sit here tonight, the number one song on the Billboard chart is called “Rich Men North of Richmond,” MaCallum said. “It is by a singer from Farmville, Virginia, named Oliver Anthony. His lyrics speak of alienation, of deep frustration with the state of government and of this country. Washington, D.C., is about 100 miles north of Richmond.”
Anthony became the first artist in music history to have a song debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart without having a previous song make the charts.
A 30-second clip of the hit song was played that included the line “‘Cause your dollar ain’t sh– and it’s taxed to no end/ ‘Cause of rich men north of Richmond.”
“So, Governor DeSantis, why is this song striking such a nerve in this country right now?” McCallum asked. “What do you think it means?”
“Our country is in decline,” DeSantis replied. “This decline is not inevitable. It’s a choice. We need to send Joe Biden back to his basement and reverse American decline.”
The song struck a chord with audiences because it speaks to the struggles facing many Americans with an out-of-touch political class occupying Washington, D.C.’s “Swamp” and DeSantis leaned into it.
“And it starts with understanding we must reverse Bidenomics so that middle-class families have a chance to succeed again,” DeSantis continued. “We cannot succeed as a country if you are working hard and can’t afford groceries, a car, or a new home while Hunter Biden can make hundreds of thousands of dollars on lousy paintings. That is wrong.”
“We– we also cannot succeed when the Congress spends trillions and trillions of dollars, those rich men north of Richmond have put us in this situation,” DeSantis said. “And, finally, we need to lower your gas prices. We’re going to open up all energy production. We will be energy dominant again in this country.”
The whole country is talking about “Rich Men North of Richmond” including a leading Republican Presidential candidate.
In a span of a few weeks, Oliver Anthony went from being a musician toiling away in obscurity to becoming the first question asked at the GOP debate.