Chair of the Florida Democratic Party since 2023, the attorney and former Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried has been standing up against the prevailing wind of anti-wokeism in her state, which features prominent GOP backers like Gov. Ron DeSantis and Congressman Matt Gaetz, two MAGA adherents who attract a lot of media attention.
Like many Democrats, Fried has been aiming her ire at the continual rise of MAGA, especially in Florida where DeSantis embraced book banning, a culture war fight with Walt Disney, and numerous anti-DEI crusades as a test tube experiment for his national presidential campaign. DeSantis’s campaign sank, as Fried predicted, but there was collateral damage, she says.
Fried asserts that the street-level results of DeSantis’s culture warrior approach to governing hurts everyday Floridians, who are being ruled by politicians who represent the minority views on crucial issues. She speaks to this in the video below:
Chair @NikkiFried: “Your Florida Democrats are fighting back. Please be part of what we are doing here on the ground.”
— Florida Democrats (@FlaDems) January 22, 2024
Here’s how you can be a part of our movement: https://t.co/LqAFWaovyy pic.twitter.com/u3ysvieCkW
By going all in on the culture war aspect of the national discussion, and relegating practical legislative matters to a backseat, the DeSantis campaign tried to mimic the success of his role model, former President Donald Trump, whom the Governor swiftly endorsed after dropping out of the 2024 race.
"You can be the most worthless Republican in America, but if you kiss the ring, he’ll say you’re wonderful." – Ron DeSantis, literally a week ago. pic.twitter.com/gOq3hBOzGw
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) January 21, 2024
Trump, of course, runs a personality-based campaign, light on governance details and long on grievance, a description that is less a disparagement than something the former President himself proudly admits.
DeSantis tried it, too, but found he ultimately lacked the power to compel other Republicans to line up as told, something Trump has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to do. DeSantis described this dynamic, and its deleterious effect on the Republican Party, in the speech below, in which he says “You can be the most worthless Republican in America, but if you kiss the ring, [Trump]’ll say you’re wonderful.”
Conversely, DeSantis implies, smart and effective Republicans are cast out into the wilderness for any perceived Trump disloyalty.
Fried happily shared The Lincoln Project’s tweet reminding people of DeSantis’s jab, noting that Trump said DeSantis was “terrific” after he withdrew from the race. Trump’s DeSantis commendation — terrific is a synonym for wonderful — appears to place the Governor in the group of Republicans he was just last week calling “worthless.”
