As part of its most recent downsizing initiative, the presidential campaign of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis fired a staff member this weekend. The staff member had shared an online clip that had altered the candidate’s face to resemble Nazi symbols.
No it isn’t.
— I Support Ron DeSantis (@SupportDeSantis) July 25, 2023
According to a screenshot, Nate Hochman, a campaign employee, tweeted the video over the weekend before removing the post. Some consider Hochman, a member of the communications team, to be a right-leaning thinker who has published articles in publications like The New York Times and National Review.
“The campaign no longer employs Nate Hochman. And we won’t be making any more comments about him,” a DeSantis campaign representative told the media.
The brief video shows a “doomer” who appears unhappy as he reads news articles about topics like Donald Trump’s inaction on immigration, his promotion of the Covid-19 vaccine, and his support for the LGBTQ community. It was allegedly first shared by the Ron DeSantis Fancams Twitter account.
DeSantis then walks in, much to the delight of the doomer. Images of the Florida governor are intercut with clips of crocodiles, rockets, and women in bathing suits in a strange montage that resembles another DeSantis campaign ad from earlier this month.
An image of DeSantis in front of a sonnenrad, a Nazi symbol that fascist supporters have continued to use as a sign of unity in modern times, appeared at the end of the video.
Concerns over the DeSantis campaign’s high staffing levels and expenditures led to the firing of more than 40% of its original employees just months after the campaign’s debut. 38 employees have been let go since the campaign’s launch in late May, including at least 26 on Tuesday.
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