DeSantis super PAC puts Trump in crosshairs with 'gun-grabber' ad

Ryan King

April 15, 09:26 AM April 15, 09:26 AM

A pro-Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) super PAC dropped an advertisement targeting former President Donald Trump as a "gun-grabber" amid the National Rifle Association leadership forum.

Both Trump and DeSantis addressed the NRA event Friday, where the PAC, Never Back Down, targeted its ad and planned to distribute fliers with similar messages, blasting the former president for siding with liberals. The attack ad follows one from MAGA Inc, painting DeSantis as having "pudding fingers."

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"Trump promised NRA members he’d have their back," the spot declared. "But when Second Amendment rights came under attack, Trump abandoned us and stood with liberal Democrats."

The ad highlighted Trump's remarks in the wake of the 2018 Parkland School shooting that left 17 dead, in which he appeared to soften his position on guns. It also flagged Trump's past support for red flag laws, increasing the age for assault weapons purchases, and calls for "taking the guns early."

"Half of you are so afraid of the NRA," Trump said in the clip. "We have to fight them every once in a while, that’s OK."

During his NRA speech, Trump struck a dramatically different tone and affirmed his unabashed support for the Second Amendment. He also periodically mocked DeSantis, his likely primary foe, as "DeSanctus" during his remarks.

"I was proud to be the most pro-gun, pro-Second Amendment president you've ever had in the White House," Trump said Friday. "I think that's been acknowledged, and with your support, in 2024, I will be your loyal friend and fearless champion once again as the 47th president of the United States."

DeSantis also addressed the NRA gathering via prerecorded remarks as he traveled between Virginia to address the Liberty University Convocation and New Hampshire for the Amos Tuck dinner.

"As governor, I've resisted calls to take up gun control even when such a stand is superficially unpopular because I understand that it is precisely at those moments when a right is unpopular that it needs true champions," the governor said.

Never Back Down is a super PAC formed by former Republican Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in hopes of crafting a springboard for a DeSantis run. The group is not officially affiliated with the governor.

Recently, MAGA Inc, a super PAC aligned with Trump, took out an ad roasting DeSantis over reports that he once ate pudding on a plane with his fingers, something he denied doing.

The group used that to attack DeSantis as having "his dirty fingers all over senior entitlements, like cutting Medicare, slashing Social Security, even raising our retirement age."

Trump offers 2024 advice to 'young man' Ron DeSantis, warns of dividing GOP

Ryan King

April 10, 01:00 PM April 10, 01:01 PM

Former President Donald Trump played adviser to his top primary threat, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), on the 2024 cycle and Republican unity.

"Ron DeSantis is a young man who is not doing well against me in the polls, to put it mildly. I believe that if he decides to run for President, which will only hurt and somewhat divide the Republican Party, he will lose the cherished and massive MAGA vote, and never be able to successfully run for office again," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

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"If he remains Governor, which is what Florida voters assumed, it would be a whole different story …. JUST SAYIN’ — But who knows," the former president said.

Although Trump has been pegged consistently as the leader heading into the crowded GOP primary, he has periodically taken shots at DeSantis, who is now polling in second place in a hypothetical GOP field, per the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate.

DeSantis has barnstormed multiple early states, touting Florida as a blueprint for the country writ large. He has been coy about his presidential aspirations and indicated that an announcement could come at some point after the Florida state legislature concludes its session in May.

So far, DeSantis has visited or plans to stop in Iowa, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, New Hampshire, Utah, Texas, and Israel, among other locations.

Trump's campaign recently cut an ad bashing his potential Florida foe and has reportedly sought to lure donors away from him.

Trump's reign as the king of the nascent GOP primary was buoyed by his recent indictment by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. DeSantis has criticized the indictment and indicated he would not assist with an extradition request.

"The only reason I have these absolutely ridiculous investigations against me, headed up by racists, lunatics, and radical left maniacs, is for purposes of election interference. It will be harder for the democrats to cheat like they did in 2020, so they are going right to the old soviet union playbook," Trump wrote in another post using only uppercase letters.

DeSantis set to pay first public visit to South Carolina amid 2024 buzz

Ryan King

April 10, 08:32 AM April 10, 08:32 AM

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is set to embark on his first public event in South Carolina of the year as 2024 speculations mounts.

State Sen. Josh Kimbrell, a Republican, invited DeSantis to a speaking event on April 19 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and has collaborated with a political action committee seeking to recruit him into the presidential contest. DeSantis attended a gubernatorial fundraiser near Charleston, South Carolina, last year.

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“I’ve told everybody associated with his team, ’You’ve got to get here early and often,'” Kimbrell told the . “I’ve tried to make it clear to them that if you want to win, you’ve got to get here early.”

Over recent months, an entourage of 2024 hopefuls and speculated aspirates have made various stops in South Carolina, which is the third state on the GOP primary calendar following the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary election.

DeSantis has maintained a brisk travel itinerary as he tests the waters for a possible presidential run. So far, he has visited or plans to visit Iowa, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, New Hampshire, Utah, Texas, and Israel, among other states.

The Florida governor has been crisscrossing the country to promote his memoir, The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival, and touting the Sunshine State as a model for other states. The Trump campaign has accused him of mounting a stealth run for president.

South Carolina is home to declared Republican hopeful former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) and possible 2024 contender Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC). This week, Scott is set to travel to Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, where he will deliver a "political update" to donors.

DeSantis has widely been pegged as the top competitor against former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical GOP primary. He is expected to make his presidential intentions known at some point after the Florida state legislature wraps up its session in May.

"I believe that Ron DeSantis is as popular among my base as Trump is," Kimbrell added. "But you can’t just mail it in. He's going to have to press the flesh, roll his sleeves up, and get really serious."