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(Becker News) Governor Ron DeSantis’ campaign shared a controversial video on Friday that criticized former President Donald J. Trump’s approach towards “LGBTQ rights.”
To wrap up “Pride Month,” let’s hear from the politician who did more than any other Republican to celebrate it…
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) June 30, 2023
The video, produced by the Twitter user Proud Elephant, and shared by the “DeSantis War Room” account, begins with a clip of Trump saying, “I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens.”
These comments were made at the Republican National Convention in July 2016, following the tragedy of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, which left 49 people dead.
Subsequently, the video shows Trump supporting the rights of ‘transgender’ individuals to use the bathrooms they prefer. It contrasts this stance with DeSantis’s tougher approach, featuring a series of aggressive images of DeSantis (including one with lasers emanating from his eyes), coupled with right-wing internet memes, news headlines, and pop culture references.
There were a number of charged reactions to the video on Twitter.
“I spent the last 7 years of my life working with Trump to make the GOP a more welcoming place for gays WHILE ALSO being anti-groomer, anti-woke and pro religious liberty, David Leatherwood said. “I’ve even worked WITH DeSantis on this agenda. This ad is a slap in the face, and makes any LGBT person supporting DeSantis look like an absolute idiot.”
“Desperation isn’t a good look. DeSantis is done,” claimed Justin Pulitzer.
“I’m a DeSantis fan, but this is uncalled for. Ron, you’re better than this,” Fred Hundt replied.
“As a 2x Trump voter it’s clear as day to me that Ron DeSantis is more conservative and FAR MORE electable than Donald Trump,” counter-argued video creator Proud Elephant. “He has my vote!”
“First, not a DeSantis ad. Put together by someone called Proud Elephant, then pushed out by D War Room, which is DeSantis affiliated, but still not an ad,” Rod Thompson pointed out. “Second, you need to separate the question. LG is one thing and big tent for the GOP. But T has become atrocious, preying on children and parents, and must be stopped. I know a lot of gay Republicans, and every one is opposed to the trans agenda, which it sounds like you are. So let’s not lose sight of the ultimate goal.”
Throughout his career, DeSantis has often portrayed himself as a target of unfair liberal criticism, using these attacks to galvanize his political base. The video may be partially intended to provoke left-wing outrage at a time when he’s trailing in polls against Trump.
Despite seeming relatively uninterested in L.G.B.T.Q. issues earlier in his career, in this Republican nomination campaign, Mr. DeSantis has been emphasizing and expanding his conservative credentials to position himself to the right of his primary rival.
The video drew criticism from not just Democrats, but also from his own party, including the Log Cabin Republicans, who described the video as “divisive and desperate” and having crossed into homophobic territory.
DeSantis has passed a number of child protection bills in Florida, including those restricting teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity with young students, penalizing businesses allowing minors to attend “adult live performances” like drag shows, and criminalizing the use of public building bathrooms not corresponding to an individual’s sex at birth.
The DeSantis video was shared on the same day the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the freedom of conscience rights of a Christian web designer to refuse wedding website services for same-sex couples.
