'That was cringe': Internet unhappy as Ron DeSantis compares Kaitlan Collins to basketball star Caitlin Clark at CNN town hall

DES MOINES, IOWA: Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis began his CNN Town Hall on Thursday, January 4, with an odd scene in which he compared host Kaitlan Collins to Iowa basketball standout Caitlin Clark.

This short-lived exchange took place before the Florida Governor was questioned about the Perry High School massacre that occurred 45 minutes away.

What did DeSantis say onstage in Des Moines?

Kaitlan Collins, host of the CNN Town Hall introduced Governor DeSantis to the stage after which he said, “Thank you. Thanks so much. Great to be back at Grand View. Thanks CNN. So, I heard the other day someone say that Kaitlan Collins had some basketball skills. Now, I don’t know if that was a mistake or not, but I know in Iowa they have a Caitlin Clark, so I just wanted to give you this as a memento.”

DeSantis then handed Collins a basketball jersey with Iowa Hawkeyes Point guard Caitlin Clark’s name on it.

“And just respectfully,” he added, “if the game’s on the line and we need a buzzer beater, I’m going with Clark over Collins.”

Host Collins responded, “Rest assured, her free throws and her threes are much better than mine, governor. But thank you so much for that. Thank you. And good luck to her playing against Rutgers on Friday night.”

She continued, “Governor, thank you for being here. Obviously, as you know, just 45 minutes away from here, Perry High School earlier today in Iowa, there was a shooting. A sixth grader was killed, five others were injured, including a school administrator on their first day back after winter break.”

The crowd then posed a number of questions to Governor DeSantis regarding the school shooting, per Mediaite.

Internet dubs interaction 'cringe' as Governor DeSantis ridiculed for doing too much

People on X (formerly Twitter) trolled Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for trying to come off as affectionate, warm, and overall, likable, to the Iowa crowd especially considering his dismal polling numbers off late heading into an all-important January 15 Iowa Caucus.

One X user remarked: "That was cringe"

"Bro wtf are you doing?" asked another user.

Another user wrote: "I didn't think you could drop more in the polls, but here we are..."

One X user said: "Embarrassing."

Another user remarked: "Bribes won't help Ronnie."

Finally, this user tweeted: "I like that you are being friendly and civil with your opposition. You come across as very Reaganish."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.