Former RNC chair: DeSantis campaign can’t 'stop the bleeding' because 'there’s no blood left'

During a recent appearance on MSNBC, former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele offered a sobering assessment of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' flagging presidential campaign after his performance in Wednesday night's GOP debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

"I think [MSNBC reporter Ali Vitali] had it right, he's trying to stop the bleeding, but, I'm sorry, you know, there's no blood left," Steele said with a chuckle.

"There's no bleeding going on. That campaign is moribund at this point," he added.

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DeSantis appeared onstage during the fourth Republican presidential debate of the 2024 campaign cycle alongside former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. Wednesday night marked the last nationally televised GOP debate before the January 15 Iowa Caucuses.

Christie made headlines for a monologue about the threat former President Donald Trump posed to democracy, calling his comments about being a "dictator" on "day one" of his presidency "unacceptable." He also criticized his fellow Republican presidential candidates for being too timid to criticize Trump, referring to him as "Voldemort" (the villain from the Harry Potter books and films).

"He's made it very clear. There's no mystery to what he wants to do. He started off his campaign by saying, 'I am your retribution.' Eight years ago, he said, 'I am your voice.' This is an angry, bitter man who now wants to be back as president because he wants to exact retribution on anyone who has disagreed with him," Christie said. "His conduct is unacceptable. He's unfit."

Haley, for her part, has ascended steadily in the polls at the expense of DeSantis. Since September, the former South Carolina governor has seen her national vote share climb from 6.0% to 10.3% of likely GOP primary voters, according to polling data compiled by RealClearPolitics. In that same time period, DeSantis has dropped from 14.3% to 13.5%. In the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire, however, Haley's popularity has soared. She now ranks second among all candidates with 18.7% support in the Granite State, with DeSantis in fourth place at just 7.7%.

READ MORE: 'Dumpster fire': DeSantis suffers another major setback just weeks away from Iowa Caucuses

Watch Michael Steele's comments below or by clicking this link.