The Republican Party's rising star just became a traitor to his own side.
He turned on the very people who made him.
And Ron DeSantis dropped one bombshell at Yale that could haunt him for years.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis returned to his alma mater last Friday night with a message that sent shockwaves through conservative circles.
Speaking at the Buckley Institute's annual conference at Yale University, DeSantis declared that conservatism has degenerated into a "racket" driven by paid influencers and online grifters who monetize outrage for profit.
"There's a saying, you know, all great causes begin as a movement, transform into a business and degenerate into a racket," DeSantis told the audience. "And I think whatever is on the right now, you know, we are very much in a racket stage."¹
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1989507533976080675?s=20
DeSantis targets the conservative media machine he helped build
The Florida Governor didn't hold back in describing what he sees as a corrupt system of paid influencers.
"I mean, you have people that can monetize outrage online," DeSantis continued. "Some of these people that are always out there, they're getting paid for certain positions. There's a whole cottage industry."²
This wasn't the first time DeSantis took aim at the conservative media ecosystem that helped launch his political career.
Back in January 2024, as his presidential campaign crashed and burned in Iowa, DeSantis unleashed an even more scathing attack on Fox News and conservative outlets.
DeSantis told Iowa voters in January that "there's as much fake news on the right as there is on the corporate press."³
The Florida Governor complained that conservative outlets "don't want to lose viewers" and are "trying to get clicks."⁴
https://twitter.com/ReOpenChris/status/1989872156801413393?s=20
The Governor who lived by friendly media now attacks it
The irony of DeSantis's attacks isn't lost on anyone who watched his meteoric rise.
DeSantis became a conservative superstar through countless friendly appearances on Fox News, where hosts lobbed softball questions and never challenged his narrative.
Two Florida conservative websites took aggressive positions on his behalf, functioning as de facto campaign operations during his re-election and presidential runs.
Podcast hosts spent hours interviewing him without asking a single remotely critical question.
When DeSantis needed sympathetic coverage, the conservative media complex delivered it without hesitation.
Now that his presidential ambitions have collapsed, DeSantis is biting the hand that fed him.
During his failed Iowa campaign, DeSantis specifically targeted Fox News for giving Donald Trump what he called a "Praetorian Guard" of protective coverage.
"He's got basically a Praetorian Guard of the conservative media — Fox News, the websites, all this stuff," DeSantis fumed in Des Moines. "They just don't hold him accountable because they're worried about losing viewers and they don't want to have the ratings go down."⁵
A pattern of using then attacking those who helped him
DeSantis's willingness to turn on conservative media mirrors his broader political strategy of using allies until they're no longer useful.
He rode Fox News appearances to national prominence as a House Freedom Caucus member.
Conservative websites championed his gubernatorial campaigns and amplified his anti-woke crusade.
Online influencers promoted his presidential bid until it became clear he couldn't compete with Trump.
The moment the coverage stopped being uniformly positive, DeSantis declared the entire system a corrupt "racket."
This pattern extends beyond the media to his treatment of donors, staff, and political allies who helped build his brand.
DeSantis launched his presidential campaign on Twitter with Elon Musk in a technically disastrous event that set the tone for his entire doomed bid.
His campaign burned through millions in donor cash, firing staff and cutting costs as his poll numbers cratered.
Now he's resurfaced at Yale to lecture conservatives about how their movement has been corrupted by people chasing money and attention.
The lack of self-awareness is stunning.
The conservative movement's real problem isn't influencers
DeSantis isn't wrong that some conservative influencers prioritize engagement and revenue over principles.
Social media rewards outrage and controversy over thoughtful analysis.
Grifters exist on both sides of the political spectrum.
But DeSantis's critique rings hollow coming from someone who exploited that exact system to build his own national profile.
He didn't complain about the "racket" when Fox News hosts were praising his handling of COVID-19 or his battles with Disney.
The "cottage industry" of paid influencers wasn't a problem when they were promoting Ron DeSantis for President.
The conservative media ecosystem only became corrupt in DeSantis's eyes after it stopped delivering the outcomes he wanted.
Real conservatives see through this transparent attempt to blame others for his own failures.
DeSantis lost to Trump not because Fox News protected him, but because Republican voters chose Trump's fighting spirit over DeSantis's calculated political positioning.
His Yale speech reveals a politician still unable to accept responsibility for his spectacular flameout.
¹ A.G. Gancarski, "Ron DeSantis says conservatism is in its 'racket stage,' riddled with paid influencers," Florida Politics, November 15, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ A.G. Gancarski, "Ron DeSantis rips 'fake news' … on 'the right'," Florida Politics, January 11, 2024.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Haley Byrd Wilt, "Ron DeSantis, Media Critic," Semafor, January 12, 2024.
