Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) 2024 presidential campaign kicked off in high gear, but has since struggled to not only gain ground but just maintain at this point.
According to Breitbart, the governor's campaign had another public relations debacle after a DeSantis staffer inserted a Nazi symbol into a pro-DeSantis video.
The DeSantis campaign fired the staffer this week, adding to the employee shake-up that has unfolded over the last few weeks.
The fired employee made the video in secret, but was later exposed by another staff member.
At first, it was assumed that the staffer had retweeted the video, which ended with a Nazi symbol in the backdrop behind DeSantis.
It was later revealed that Nate Hochman had made the video himself.
Breitbart explained:
The video caught attention because it was shared by a staffer. But according to Axios, that staffer, Nate Hochman — which the outlet describes as a “speechwriter on the DeSantis campaign and a former writer for National Review” — made the video himself and initially shared it on the pro-DeSantis account before retweeting it. However, it was eventually deleted.
News then broke of how the video was made and then shared on a Pro-DeSantis Twitter account.
Scoop: This staffer didn't just retweet the video.
He secretly made the video w/ the Sonnenrad, per a person familiar.It was then shared through @desantiscams where the staffer retweeted it. The video was later deleted it but here it is.
My storyhttps://t.co/TBt0IMNQe0 https://t.co/Tutp4lM4On pic.twitter.com/DJdy71DzwD— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) July 25, 2023
With the campaign in desperate need of a booster shot, having to fire a staffer for such an embarrassing incident is the last thing the DeSantis campaign needed at this point in the election.
Twitter users were not kind over the incident, to say the least. Supporters of other candidates, especially those backing former President Donald Trump, had a field day with it.
"Aww… poor bigot. Can’t even disseminate Nazi imagery nowadays w/o folks getting their knickers a twist. Maybe you could take him in Glenn? Give him a nice cozy, comfortable lifeline on your staff. I mean, you think alike. Perfect fit, no?" one Twitter user wrote.
The DeSantis campaign has seen a decline in polling numbers in past weeks, and so far, some 38 staffers have been fired or replaced in an effort to shake things up, reportedly.
Only time will tell if his campaign can hold a steady position, but it certainly can't afford any additional debacles of this caliber.
