To some, he is “Ron Desoros,” a puppet of Democratic megadonor George Soros. To others, he’s “Ron Desatan,” a vaccine-promoting misdeed. To still others, he is “Ron Deplantis”, the so-called Deep State “plant”.
When the governor of Florida — real name Ron DeSantis — considered his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, he made an offer to supporters of former President Donald J. Trump. But he finds that the conspiracy theories and wacky attacks that Mr. Trump and his allies have targeted their rivals for years are coming to him as well.
Attacks often agree with one of the many unsubstantiated conspiracy theories circulating in far-right circles. Election fraud, vaccine dangers, Mr Soros, and even QAnon, an online conspiracy movement that believes in the existence of fictional characters. A cult that preys on children.
The attacks underscore the power of conspiracy theories to continue to dominate Republican politics heading into the 2024 presidential election. right. attack on him. DeSantis has broad support among Republicans and won re-election just six months ago, but the latest preliminary polls show Trump has a sizable lead. ing.
Bond Benton, an associate professor at Montclair State University who studies QAnon, said:
Insulting nicknames for Mr. DeSantis have been widely circulated on conservative social media, and have increased this year as Mr. Trump’s attacks have increased. According to his media analytics firm Zignal Labs, there have been more than 12,000 mentions of him for “DeSoros” on social media and news sites since January. “Death Santis” is a progressive term used when the governor began easing his Covid-19 restrictions in Florida, and has since been adopted by some conservatives, but over the past two years In he received 1.6 million mentions.
In recent months, DeSantis has responded by adopting several themes popular among conspiracy theorists, opposing vaccines he once supported and questioning the 2020 election he easily won. I threw it.
Mr. DeSantis’ office did not respond to a request for comment.
The attacks are coming from some of the loudest voices in Trump’s corner.
MyPillow executive and election denier Mike Lindell quickly found a role in Mr. DeSantis’ elaborate narrative of election fraud. Lindell falsely said Florida escaped widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. DeSantis had close ties to Dominion Voting Systems, an election software company targeted by election deniers.
“Ron DeSantis is a Trojan horse,” Lindell said in a recent interview with The New York Times.
Lindell said DeSantis was with Dominion lawyers shortly after the election as a sign of conflicting loyalties from the governor.
Attorney Elizabeth Locke spoke with Mr. DeSantis during a panel discussion. Risk of defamation by mainstream mediaShe also represented former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
There is no evidence that voter fraud was widespread in the 2020 election, nor is there any evidence that Mr. DeSantis had any special relationship with the Dominion.
In an email, Rock pointed out: Podcast appearance She called the allegations “absurd” and said she knew about DeSantis before he entered politics.
Republican Kari Lake, who lost the governorship of Arizona last year, once praised Mr. DeSantis during his campaign. But in February, as Trump’s attacks escalated, she shared a story claiming that Mr. DeSantis was endorsed by Mr. Soros, calling it the “kiss of death.” (Mr. Soros, Mr. DeSantis likely to run.)
“In a broader sense, he’s connected to the shadowy forces trying to overthrow Trump,” said Bond of the University of Montclair.
Mr. DeSantis was forced to catch up, appealing widely to conspiracy groups within the Republican Party.
Last year, he announced a crackdown on voter fraud, arresting 17 people on suspicion of voter fraud in 2020. many of the voters I had received a voter registration card from the government.
Mr. DeSantis once championed a Covid-19 vaccine and celebrated how quickly Florida people got vaccinated. But by the end of last year, he had a statewide grand jury investigating vaccine makers that could mislead the people of Florida, reflecting a false belief among Trump supporters that vaccines are dangerous. ordered to do
QAnon conspiracy theorists don’t seem to be shaken by DeSantis’ allegations, said Josephine Luquito, a professor of media at the University of Texas who studies the relationship between disinformation and violence. “For them, it better shows what kind of fake they perceive DeSantis as.”
