To some, he is “Ron De Soros,” a puppet of Democratic superdonor George Soros. To others, he is “Ron DeSatan,” a pro-vaccine villain. To others, he is “Ron DePLANTis,” the so-called “plants” of the deep state.
Florida’s governor — real name Ron DeSantis — is exploring the Republican presidential nomination as he courts supporters of former President Donald J. Trump. But he found years of conspiracy theories and outlandish attacks on rivals by Trump and his allies working against him, too.
These attacks are often linked to one of the many baseless conspiracy theories circulating in far-right circles: election fraud, the dangers of vaccines, Mr. Soros and even QAnon, an online conspiracy movement that believes, among other things, that a fictitious group exists to A cult that feeds on children.
The attacks underscore the power that conspiracy theories continue to shape Republican politics ahead of the 2024 presidential election.To win the party’s nomination, Mr. DeSantis will likely need support from a Republican base that has generated many attack him. Although Mr. DeSantis enjoys broad support among Republicans and won re-election six months ago, the latest primary polls show Mr. Trump gaining a sizeable lead.
“It’s a tug-of-war over who’s going to grab the most important conspiracy constituency,” said Bond Benton, an associate professor at Montclair State University who studies QAnon.
DeSantis’ derogatory nickname has spread widely on conservative social media, growing this year as Trump’s attacks increased. Since January, “DeSoros” has been mentioned more than 12,000 times on social media and news sites, according to media insights firm Zignal Labs. “DeathSantis,” a term used by progressives when the governor began easing Florida’s Covid-19 restrictions, has since been adopted by some conservatives, with 1.6 million mentions over the past two years.
In recent months, Mr. DeSantis has responded by adopting some of the themes that have been popular among the cabal, opposing a vaccine he once supported and calling into question the 2020 election, despite Mr. Trump’s vote that year Easy win over Florida.
Mr. DeSantis’ office did not respond to a request for comment.
The attacks came from some of the loudest voices in the Trump camp.
Mike Lindell, a MyPillow executive and election denier, quickly found a role in DeSantis’ orchestrated narrative of election fraud. Mr. Lindell falsely suggested that Florida was immune to widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election because Mr. DeSantis was close to Dominion Voting Systems, an election software company targeted by election deniers.
“Ron DeSantis is a Trojan horse,” Mr. Lindell said in a recent interview with The New York Times.
Mr. Lindell noted that Mr. DeSantis had met with the Dominion attorney shortly after the election, suggesting a conflict of governor’s loyalties.
Attorney Elizabeth Locke discusses with Mr. DeSantis during a panel discussion The Danger of Mainstream Media Defamation. She also represents former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud anywhere in the 2020 election, or that Mr. DeSantis has any special relationship with Dominion.
In an email, Ms Locke pointed to a podcast look She called the claims “stupid” and said she knew Mr. DeSantis before he entered politics.
Carrie Lake, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully for governor of Arizona last year, had praised Mr. DeSantis on the campaign trail. But in February, as Mr. Trump’s attacks mounted, she shared a story claiming Mr. DeSantis was backed by Mr. Soros, calling it the “kiss of death.” (Mr. Soros simply said that Mr. DeSantis was potential nominee.)
“The broader narrative is that he’s connected to shadowy forces trying to overthrow Trump,” said Mr Bond, the Montclair professor.
Mr. DeSantis was forced to play catch-up, making broad appeals to the cabal within the Republican Party.
Last year, he announced a crackdown on voter fraud, arresting 17 people for illegally voting in 2020. many voters Received a voter registration card from the government.
Mr. DeSantis has supported a Covid-19 vaccine and celebrated the rapid immunization of Floridians. By the end of last year, though, he had appointed a statewide grand jury to investigate whether vaccine makers might have misled Floridians, reflecting Trump supporters’ false belief that vaccines are dangerous.
Followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory don’t appear to be swayed by Mr. DeSantis’ call, said Josephine Lukito, a media professor at the University of Texas who studies the link between disinformation and violence. “To them, it’s more indicative of what a liar they think DeSantis is.”
