The DeSantis media strategy: Would embracing liberal press sooner have made any difference?

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As Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis officially bows out of the presidential race and offers his support to former President Trump, his yo-yo approach to the legacy media is fueling questions about whether it had an impact on his now-failed candidacy.

In the final days of his campaign, DeSantis was self-reflective and acknowledged an "error" he made in an interview last week with radio host Hugh Hewitt.

"I came in not really doing as much media. I should have just been blanketing," DeSantis said. "I should have gone on all the corporate shows. I should have gone on everything. I started doing that as we got into the end of the summer, and we did it. But we had an opportunity, I think, to come out of the gate and do that and reach a much broader folk. Now, I’m everywhere. I mean, I’ll show up wherever."

DOWN AND OUT: WHAT WENT WRONG WITH RON DESANTIS' RUN FOR THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION?

DePauw University journalism professor Jeffrey McCall told Fox News Digital it was a "mistake" for DeSantis to ice out the media, saying he "diminished his own relevance."

"The curious thing was that there was no need for DeSantis to fear the media exposure," McCall said. "He is quite good at fending off partisan attacks, and he is clearly smarter than the journalists who would have been questioning him. His potential supporters would have delighted