Republican Ron DeSantis is considered Donald Trump’s fiercest competitor in the US election campaign. In a Trump team commercial, DeSantis is now being mocked with an unsavory rumor.
Donald Trump shifts into the next gear in the US election campaign: With a new commercial for his candidacy for the White House, Trump sharply attacks the Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis. DeSantis is currently the strongest internal party competitor to the former US President.
The video, which was also shared on Twitter, is about a curious rumor. DeSantis is said to have eaten chocolate pudding with his fingers in public, several tabloids had reported. “Ron DeSantis loves to put his fingers where they don’t belong,” the commercial reads. “And we’re not just talking about pudding.”
The Republican is accused in the video of wanting to cut spending on US pensions and health insurance. He also wants to raise the retirement age to 70. “Tell Ron DeSantis to keep his pudding fingers off our money,” it said. You can see a man making a mess while eating pudding. In addition, negative headlines about DeSantis are displayed. “Oh, and someone should give that man a spoon,” the 30-second spot says.
Trump is campaigning against the gun lobby
Meanwhile, Trump and other prominent Republicans have used the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual meeting for campaign appearances. In his usual speech, Trump railed against the government of his Democratic successor, Joe Biden. The 76-year-old described his political opponents as communists who wanted to destroy the United States and himself by any means necessary. As an example, he cited the various legal disputes in which he had been involved.
Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, also performed at the event in his home state of Indiana. While Trump was cheered by the crowd, some onlookers greeted Pence with boos. The former deputy is also said to have ambitions for the presidency, but so far he has not announced an application for a candidacy. Video messages were played at the conference from other prominent Republicans, including former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis.
The NRA is the most powerful gun lobbying organization in the United States. Republican politicians in particular regularly seek support from the NRA.
At the event, Trump and Pence also commented on the recent shooting sprees in the US cities of Nashville and Louisville, which have killed more than a dozen people, including the perpetrators. The speakers repeated the well-known argument of the gun lobby, not because of the large number of firearms in the USA but because of the state of mind of the shooters. The solution is not stricter gun laws, as Biden has long been demanding, but more guns in schools so that teachers and security personnel can better defend themselves.
Biden apparently wants to run again
There was also news from Joe Biden: On the sidelines of his trip to Ireland, the US President again hinted at a possible candidacy in next year’s election. “I’ve calculated it,” said Biden, according to information from journalists traveling with him, at the end of his visit to the EU country on Saturday night. “We will announce it relatively soon.” Biden said his visit to Ireland made him optimistic about what can be achieved.
It is the President’s clearest commitment to a renewed candidacy to date, and it is widely expected. On Easter Monday, Biden repeated his usual rhetoric of the past few months when he said he intends to run again.
The 80-year-old has said several times that he intends to run for re-election in the November 2024 presidential election. An official announcement is still pending. Given his age, even within Biden’s own party, there are reservations as to whether he would be the best candidate. Biden would be 81 in the 2024 election, 82 at the start of a second term and 86 at the end.
