'Fascist' DeSantis ripped after staffer posts video depicting symbol used by neo-Nazis

Supporters of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have been hoping that his 2024 presidential campaign would be the GOP's offramp from Donald Trump. But Trump remains the primary's clear frontrunner. Polls released during the second half of July have found DeSantis trailing Trump by 44 percent (Rasmussen), 40 percent (Harvard University/HarrisX) or 29 percent (Quinnipiac).

Hoping to turn his campaign around, DeSantis is trying to show GOP primary voters that he's to the right of Trump on everything from abortion to vaccines. But so far, it isn't working.

DeSantis now finds himself facing yet another controversy: during the July 22-23 weekend, a staffer tweeted a pro-DeSantis video that incorporates a symbol used by white supremacists, white nationalists and neo-Nazis. The Twitter account @Desantiscams has since deleted the tweet.

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The New Republic's Adrienne Mahsa Varkiani explains, "The far-right circular symbol is known as a 'sonnenrad,' a symbol co-opted by Nazis in their attempt to claim an 'Aryan heritage.' Today, it's often found in white supremacist literature and the manifestos of far-right mass shooters. And apparently, it's also found in the 2024 presidential campaign."

DeSantis' critics have been quick to respond.

Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Florida) tweeted, "When I first started calling @RonDeSantis a fascist, I got blowback from folks in both parties. Now, he's being so overt about it that people are coming around. Calling DeSantis a fascist isn't hyperbole, it’s defining what he is."

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Podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen noted, "Ron DeSantis campaign staff just shared a video with DeSantis and a Nazi symbol imposed over a flag of Florida with soldiers marching toward it."

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), however, has cautioned that the sonnenrad goes back to ancient cultures, including Celtic and Old Norse, and isn't necessarily used for racist purposes.

According to the ADL, "Because sonnenrad imagery is used by many cultures around the world, one should not assume that most sonnenrad-like images necessarily denote racism or white supremacy; rather, they should be analyzed carefully in the context in which they appear."

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