Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is intensifying his campaign spending ahead of the 2024 election, positioning himself as one of the frontrunners. However, a recent ad that humorously targeted former President Donald Trump has faced backlash and drawn the ire of a popular television series.
What Happened: The ad shared by the DeSantis campaign showcases Trump's support for the LGBTQ+ community.
The caption for the video reads, "To wrap up 'Pride Month,' let's hear from the politician who did more than any other Republican to celebrate it..."
In the ad, DeSantis playfully mocks Trump's previous support for Caitlyn Jenner, transgender competitors in Miss America competitions, and the LGBTQ+ community.
Related Link: Ron DeSantis May Have Violated Campaign Rules With Helicopter Border Tour
The edited video, shared by @ProduElephantUS and @DeSantisWarRoom, features clips of DeSantis responding to the LGBTQ+ community. Notably, it includes a clip of Cillian Murphy as Thomas "Tommy" Shelby from "Peaky Blinders." The creators of the British crime series, which streams on Netflix Inc NFLX, have expressed their disapproval, stating that the footage was used without permission or an official license, as reported by Variety. “We do not support nor endorse the video’s narrative and strongly disapprove of the use of the content in this manner,” Murphy was quoted as saying.
Apart from "Peaky Blinders," images from "American Psycho," "The Wolf of Wall Street," and "Troy" are also incorporated into the video.
Why It's Important: The video shared by the DeSantis campaign has faced criticism, with MSNBC host Chris Hayes calling it offensive.
“I think even those folks and the people he’s trying to appeal to will find his campaign’s latest video to be as desperate and thirsty as the rest of us do,” Hayes said.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, raised questions about the video's intentions in a recent interview.
“What public policy problems do you get up in the morning thinking about how to solve? These are the kinds of problems that most of us got into government, politics and public service in order to work on," he said.
Furthermore, DeSantis's ongoing feud with The Walt Disney Company DIS has been widely publicized, stemming from his signing of the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, commonly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
The ongoing dispute, which has resulted in lawsuits, has proven to be a significant distraction for DeSantis's campaign. With DeSantis already trailing behind Trump in most Republican polls, his latest attack may end up doing more harm than good.
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