It's on: Pro-DeSantis PAC takes aim at Trump and uses his own words to do it

AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

The super PAC backing DeSantis released its first television ad during Fox News Sunday. The super PAC, Never Back Down, asks the question, “What happened to Donald Trump?” In the ad titled “Fight Democrats, Not Republicans,” the narrator says Trump is taking a page from the Democrats’ playbook by claiming DeSantis wants to make changes to Social Security.

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In the ad, there is a video clip of DeSantis saying Republicans will not do anything to Social Security and it shows Trump as the one who spoke about the possibility of entitlement reforms. “Trump should fight Democrats, not lie about Governor DeSantis.”

It’s a fair point. However, we’re in the primary season and Trump plays gutter ball. His way of knocking off competition in primaries is to use personal attacks against them. Have you seen the latest ad by a Trump-supporting super PAC that attacks DeSantis over entitlement reform by using the story of DeSantis allegedly eating pudding with his fingers? The ad by super PAC, Make America Great Again, Inc. sounds as though Team Trump wrote it for them, though that would be illegal. It’s been running frequently in my television market and is a good indication of what is to come once DeSantis formally enters the race.

It’s good to see Never Back Down get involved now rather than wait until DeSantis enters the primary race. Time’s a-wastin’. The tone isn’t going to get any kinder or gentler. Trump is behaving as he did in 2015. It’s too early to tell yet if it will work again for him. We do know that during a campaign rally when he attacked DeSantis, the audience went silent. He expected them to cheer his ugliness but they didn’t. He may have to recalibrate a bit as he goes forward with his schtick.

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The pro-Trump ad has been running since March 31. It has a two-week jump on the DeSantis super PAC ad.

Another ad from Never Back Down is even more devastating to Trump if you ask me, but it was only shown to the NRA convention audience. The super PAC dropped the ad online geotargeting the convention before Trump delivered his speech and handed out flyers with similar messaging. It uses quotes from Trump talking about fighting the NRA and approving of some gun control measures like red flag laws and shows him saying, “Take the guns first, go through due process second.”

“Trump promised NRA members he’d have their back,” the video ad exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital says. “But when Second Amendment rights came under attack, Trump abandoned us and stood with liberal Democrats.”

“Half of you are so afraid of the NRA,” Trump says in a clip included in the ad. “We have to fight them every once in a while, that’s OK.

“Some of you people are petrified of the NRA,” Trump continued. “You can’t be petrified. They have great power over you people. They have less power over me. I don’t need them. What do I need?”

The ad highlighted Trump’s call “for red flag laws,” raising the age to buy assault weapons and clips of him backing “taking the guns early.”

“Take the guns first, go through due process second,” Trump said.

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The event was held in Indianapolis on Friday. DeSantis was not there to deliver a speech in person, he sent a video address for the audience. It was the first time he has spoken to the annual convention. DeSantis recently signed House Bill (HB) 543 which allows Floridians to carry concealed weapons without a government-issued permit. The signed law goes into effect on July 1, 2023, and will make Florida the 26th state to enact constitutional carry legislation. The United States will become a constitutional carry-majority nation.

The DeSantis supporting ad only aired once Sunday during FNC’s Sunday show. Monday the PAC will put seven figures behind its first full national television buy. It’s titled “Anthem.” It shows DeSantis as a man who stands up for everyday Americans. There is no mention of Trump.

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Ed Morrissey 8:20 PM | November 08, 2024
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