EXCLUSIVE — 2024 presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s campaign is slamming Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) as an “echo” of former President Donald Trump ahead of his rumored campaign launch.
In a new spot titled “A choice, not an echo,” Haley’s team painted her as the true alternative to Trump while highlighting DeSantis’s past imitations of the former president’s rhetoric. DeSantis is speculated to make a 2024 announcement on Twitter later on Wednesday.
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The clip opened with a quote from Trump saying DeSantis “was totally different. Whatever I want, he wants.” Then it showcased DeSantis’s “Build the Wall” campaign ad from the 2018 election cycle, which showed DeSantis telling his child to “build the wall” and teaching them to say “Make America Great Again.”
DeSantis has since described the ad as a satirical ploy intended to boost his profile in the heated contest. Trump’s allies have similarly jabbed at DeSantis over his past tributes to the former president.
Haley’s video also flagged DeSantis describing getting “further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia” as not being a “vital national” interest, which triggered a fierce backlash. DeSantis later clarified that he views Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “war criminal” and backs Ukraine.
“We’ll stand with our allies from Israel to Ukraine and stand up to our enemies in Iran and Russia,” Haley is shown proclaiming in the video. “The time has come to renew that spirit and rally our people. Our moment is now, our mission is clear. Let’s save our country and secure our future.”
The campaign video follows a memo that described and rebutted DeSantis’s elevator pitch to voters as “Trump without the drama.” It accused DeSantis of “literally copying Trump” and derided him as “Trump without the charm.” The memo similarly highlighted DeSantis’s remarks on Ukraine and bashed him for his ongoing battle with Disney.
Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and governor of South Carolina, debuted her campaign in February.
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DeSantis has consistently polled as the second-place 2024 GOP hopeful after Trump, with Haley in fourth place, per the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate.
The governor is widely reported to be planning to announce his 2024 plans during a 6 p.m. EDT Twitter Spaces interview with CEO Elon Musk and entrepreneur David Sacks. DeSantis is also expected to file his paperwork for a run later this week.
