'Should we really be doing this?': What went wrong for Ron DeSantis' campaign

Interviews with more than a dozen sources close to Ron DeSantis' campaign detailed some of his challenges as a candidate against Trump and what's next

In the two weeks since ending his 2024 presidential campaign, Ron DeSantis has returned to Florida and to the duties of his governorship, while still focusing on some of the culture war issues that helped him build a national profile.

At the same time, he's been sharing some intimate, selfie-style videos on social media -- like a conversation with his 5-year-old son about who would win the NFL conference- championship games -- that were rare, if not nonexistent, before and during his presidential run. (His son predicted both winners.)

"Where was this guy during the 2024 campaign?" wrote one social media user, echoing the reaction of other commenters, many of whom were ardent supporters of the governor's presidential run.

DeSantis began 2023 as the best positioned Republican candidate to challenge Trump for the party's presidential nomination, according to polling tracked by 538.

But he begins 2024 as another name on the growing list of rivals who failed to shake the former president's popularity among the GOP -- after his campaign and allied super PAC spent a combined $158,000,000, all to place a distant second in the first nominating contest, in Iowa, before quickly exiting the race.