To Refute SpotifyGate, Butthurt Desantis Lists More MAGA-Friendly Playlist

Gov. Ron DeSantis' spokesperson maintains that the "Hodge-podge mix" playlist leaked in the Panama Playlists does not belong to the governor.

“While the presence of Johnny Cash, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Elvis, and Frank Sinatra on a playlist would meet Governor DeSantis’ approval, the absence of country artists like George Strait and Waylon Jennings or '80s metal bands like Metallica and Guns N’ Roses is proof that this is not, in fact, his playlist," communications director Bryan Griffin told New Times in an emailed statement.

He didn’t specify which songs the governor prefers from those artists, so we had to guess. Jennings' "I've Always Been Crazy" ("I've always been crazy, but it's kept me from going insane") seems like a good fit. And when it comes to Metallica, "Master of Puppets" is a sure shoo-in ("Master of puppets, I'm pulling your strings, twisting your mind and smashing your dreams").

But Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" perfectly embodies Gov. DeSantis in 2025, living his best life while Alligator Alcatraz detainees brave gargantuan mosquitoes and ineffective plumbing, all while surrounded by swamps, alligators, and snakes. "Welcome to the jungle; it's worse here every day," the lyrics read. "You learn to live like an animal in the jungle where we play."

As previously reported by New Times, a new website claims to have found the Spotify playlists for several prominent journalists, business executives, and U.S. political leaders, including DeSantis, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Vice President JD Vance.

After months of monitoring the playlists and scraping data, the anonymous sleuth behind the website says they have complete confidence in their authenticity. In the case of the playlist seemingly belonging to DeSantis, the user's profile name is, in fact, Ron DeSantis, and the profile picture shows a younger DeSantis in military uniform.

The "Hodge-podge mix" features hits by Elton John, Miley Cyrus, Jimi Hendrix, The Jackson 5, Billy Joel, and The Weeknd, just to name a few. The "Ron DeSantis" account follows 14 people on Spotify, including Led Zeppelin, Imagine Dragons, Queen, Lil Nas X, and Luke Bryan.  DeSantis' spokesperson contacted New Times following the publication of our initial story to clarify that the 162-song "Hodge-podge mix" is not the governor's playlist. (Admittedly, we failed to initially contact the governor's office to ask about the playlist's existence.)

New Times seemingly struck a nerve with the governor's office, considering his spokespeople rarely answer requests for comments on other matters, especially those more serious than DeSantis' music taste.

After Griffin sent his statement, New Times asked, "Does he have a Spotify account?" "Could he share his playlists with us so we can tell our readers?" and  "What is his favorite song, or a song that most embodies the governor?"

Griffin swiftly responded, "I've already provided the comment for your article with much of this answered within."

New Times tried again and asked if Griffin could provide DeSantis' real playlist to share with readers, but unfortunately, he declined.

"You should share with your readers how you write & publish on a topic without any fact-checking, outreach, or verification on what you're writing about," he added.