Ron DeSantis Under Pressure Over Neo-Nazi Response

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is continuing to receive criticism for his apparent failure to fully condemn neo-Nazi demonstrations that have taken place in the state.

DeSantis, who is running for president, recently came under fire from state Representative Randy Fine, the only Jewish Republican in the Florida Legislature, for the governor's muted responses to Fine being "jumped" by a neo-Nazi in Florida and the white supremacist demonstrations that took place in Orlando and Orange County.

Fine's criticism arrived after a neo-Nazi demonstration in which swastikas and other antisemitic banners were hung along the Daryl Carter Parkway Bridge in Orlando took place in June. A group of far-right extremists paraded through Orlando in September, shouting racist and antisemitic slurs while also waving flags depicting white supremacist symbols.

"Eighteen months ago, my Nazi 'friends' showed up in Florida. They assaulted a Rabbi. They beat up a Jew who yelled back at one of their protests," Fine wrote in a recent opinion piece for The Washington Times. "They commandeered highway overpasses to illegally hang banners saying 'Gas the Jews.' They have tormented Jews at their homes with filth. Until a few weeks ago, Governor DeSantis said almost nothing. And worse, he did almost nothing."

During an interview on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, DeSantis was pressed by host Kristen Welker about why he didn't "speak out" strongly about the neo-Nazis in Florida.

In response, DeSantis said that "of course" he condemned the far-right demonstrations, but rejected the criticism from Fine and suggested that he is "just trying to create a name for himself" with his remarks.

"Everybody knows that's nonsense. And don't give somebody 15 minutes of fame just because they're letting you try to do a preferred narrative just to hit me," DeSantis said. "It's nonsense. Our record is second to none, and we'll continue to lead on these issues."

Fine, who announced that he will now be supporting Donald Trump in the GOP presidential primary over DeSantis, said he was disappointed with the governor's "flippant response to the fears of thousands of Florida's Jewish parents" during his Meet the Press interview.

"I am even more disappointed that the Governor continues to call the rise of Nazis in Florida 'fake.' Governor DeSantis didn't mind the fame of signing my bills to tackle antisemitism, in Israel no less; I am not interested in fame for pointing out his failure to use them," Fine posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"Instead of talking about me, he should protect Jewish children and families. I will fight for that for far more than 15 minutes."

Newsweek reached out to DeSantis' office via email for comment.

In January 2022, a group of white supremacists unfurled swastika flags across an overpass in Orlando.

The incident came one day after extremists from the white supremacist National Socialist Movement were seen yelling antisemitic slurs at passing vehicles and giving Nazi salutes in Orange County.

In a press conference at the time, DeSantis condemned neo-Nazis as "jack*****" but dismissed those trying to criticize him for the demonstrations.

"What I'm going to say is these people, these Democrats who are trying to use this as some type of political issue to try to smear me as if I had something to do with it, we're not playing their game," DeSantis said.

Elsewhere, Desantis' presidential campaign team was heavily criticized after it shared a video on X that ended with the Florida governor's face superimposed over a sonnenrad, an ancient circular symbol that was co-opted by the Nazis and is still used today by some white supremacist groups.

In July, one of DeSantis' campaign team, Nate Hochman, was fired after allegedly helping produce the video before posting it under another account so it looked like it had been created independently.