Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is facing backlash from the Log Cabin Republicans, the largest LGBT Republican organization in the United States, over a controversial campaign ad that targeted former President Donald Trump’s connections to the LGBT community. The ad, posted by the DeSantis War Room on Twitter, featured a 2016 clip of Trump promising to protect the rights of LGBTQ citizens. This comes as DeSantis has been under scrutiny for his legislation targeting transgender individuals.[0]
The video opens with a clip of Trump at the Republican National Convention in 2016 proclaiming his commitment to protecting LGBTQ citizens. It then shows several clips of Trump with transgender Republican Caitlyn Jenner, before a meme depicting DeSantis with lightning bolts shooting out of his eyes and the word “NO.”[1] The video has been criticized for its portrayal of Trump and for its attack on DeSantis.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who is openly gay, commented on the advertisement, stating, “I just don’t understand the mentality of somebody who gets up in the morning thinking that he’s going to prove his worth by competing over who can make life hardest for a hard-hit community that is already so vulnerable.”[2]
The Log Cabin Republicans issued a statement denouncing the ad as divisive and desperate.[3] They emphasized that DeSantis has alienated swing-state and younger voters, and accused him of crossing into homophobic territory with his extreme rhetoric.[0]
Charles T. Moran, the national president of the Log Cabin Republicans, also criticized DeSantis, stating, “You could have gone after radical queers, Ron DeSantis – but instead you went after the ones who win the GOP votes and get Republicans elected.[0] People like me.
0. “GOP Group Tears Apart Ron DeSantis’ ‘Homophobic,’ ‘Desperate’ Anti-LGBTQ Ad” Yahoo New Zealand News, 1 Jul. 2023, https://nz.news.yahoo.com/amphtml/gop-group-tears-apart-ron-071323538.html
1. “DeSantis Posts Deranged Ad Attacking Trump and Pride Month With ‘American Psycho’ Clips” Mediaite, 30 Jun. 2023, https://www.mediaite.com/politics/desantis-posts-deranged-ad-attacking-trump-and-pride-month-with-american-psycho-clips/
2. “‘Who are you trying to help?’: Buttigieg slams DeSantis over LGBTQ-focused ad” POLITICO, 2 Jul. 2023, https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/02/buttigieg-desantis-lgbtq-ad-00104531
3. “‘Extreme’ and ‘Homophobic’: Ron DeSantis Under Fire From Inside the GOP Over ‘Deranged’ Attack on Donald Trump” Radar Online, 1 Jul. 2023, https://radaronline.com/p/homophobic-ron-desantis-under-fire-inside-gop-attack-donald-trump/
4. “Pete Buttigieg blasts ‘strangeness’ of DeSantis campaign ad” Washington Examiner, 2 Jul. 2023, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/pete-buttigieg-strangeness-desantis-campaign-ad
5. “DeSantis’ Gross Anti-Gay Ad Proves He’s Way Worse Than Trump” The Daily Beast, 2 Jul. 2023, https://www.thedailybeast.com/desantis-just-proved-he-may-be-worse-for-gop-than-trump
6. “DeSantis campaign shares video slamming Trump’s past vow to protect LGBTQ rights” CNN, 2 Jul. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/01/politics/desantis-trump-lgbtq-rights-video/index.html
7. “Pete Buttigieg Expertly Dings DeSantis’ Homoerotic Anti-Gay Ad” Yahoo News Canada, 2 Jul. 2023, https://ca.news.yahoo.com/pete-buttigieg-expertly-dings-desantis-145839103.html
