Advertisements pitting Gov. Ron DeSantis against Donald Trump

Reporter: Gail Levy Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:
Split image showing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis next to former President Donald Trump. Credit: CBS

Former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis are attacking each other in their ads again, even though DeSantis hasn’t announced he’s running.

They both took jabs at each other’s stance on Social Security and Medicare, important issues to many Americans, especially if you’re middle-aged or a senior.

Trump’s political action committee went a little more personal. A rumor began spreading of DeSantis on a private plane eating chocolate pudding with three fingers rather than using a spoon. This could have led the ad to say, “DeSantis is sticking his fingers where they don’t belong…” While headlines are popping up accusing DeSantis of cutting Medicare and Social Security and raising the retirement age to 70. Meanwhile, there’s a man in the background of the ad eating chocolate pudding with three fingers.

It’s the first time we’ve seen DeSantis’ PAC jab back. The commercial starts by reminding everyone about his lawsuit in New York. Then questions his ethics by asking why he’s attacking Republicans. DeSantis answers the Social Security question with a clip where he says we’re not going to mess with Social Security.

All the while, DeSantis still hasn’t announced he’s running for office yet. He’s expected to after the legislative session. So, WINK News asked Aubrey Jewett, a political expert, what Republican voters need to know when it’s time to go to the polls.

“Voters of any stripe, you know, you should always take with a grain of salt when you see these attack ads run by Super PACs,” Jewett said. “And you should try to say, Okay, what’s the truth here? Are these attack ads? Really true? Are they in context? Are they just highlighting something that maybe historically was correct but doesn’t accurately represent the current positions of these folks?”

But it’s a tricky field for DeSantis to play because if and when he announces, Jewett explained he would need the support from Trump backers. For the time being, many polls show Trump leading over DeSantis, and much of that is from his indictment in New York.

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