Ron DeSantis - latest: Campaign fires staffer over Nazi meme as animal blamed for motorcade crash

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Ron DeSantis: CCTV shows emergency services attending car crash scene

Ron DeSantis was in a car crash while on his way to a fundraiser in Tennessee.

The Florida governor and 2024 presidential candidate was uninjured in the Tuesday morning incident.

“We appreciate the prayers and well wishes of the nation for his continued protection while on the campaign trail,” spokesperson Bryan Griffin said in a statement.

Mr DeSantis was set to attend fundraisers in Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Nashville on Tuesday as his campaign is reported to be floundering both in terms of funding and poll numbers.

Meanwhile, the governor’s presidential campaign continues to suffer internal turmoil.

A staffer was recently fired for posting a video using Nazi imagery superimposed on Mr DeSantis’s face.

Key Points

• VIDEO: CCTV shows emergency services attending car crash scene
• DeSantis campaign fires aide behind neo-Nazi meme video
• Four cars in DeSantis motorcade collided with each other as traffic slowed, police say
• DeSantis lays off a third of his campaign staff as presidential bid sputters
• Ron DeSantis has already blown 40 per cent of his campaign donations – on private jets and fancy campaign dinners
• Four cars in Ron DeSantis motorcade crash into each other on way to Tennessee fundraisers

[26 July 2023 06:00 · Sheila Flynn, Michelle L Price, AP]

Florida man pleads guilty over Jan 6 riot as state’s governor Ron DeSantis insists there was no insurrection

A Florida man has pleaded guilty to participating in the 6 January 2021 riot at the US Capitol – on the same day the state’s governor called the insurrection simply a “protest” that “ended up devolving.”

Anthony Sargent, 47, pleaded guilty on Friday in District of Columbia federal court to a felony count of civil disorder along with six misdemeanor charges, according to court records. He faces up to five years in prison at a Sept. 28 sentencing hearing, AP reported.

[26 July 2023 07:00 · Gustaf Kilander]

Four cars in Ron DeSantis motorcade crash into each other on way to Tennessee fundraisers

Ron DeSantis was in a car crash while on his way to a fundraiser in Tennessee.

The Florida governor and 2024 presidential candidate was uninjured in the Tuesday morning incident.

“This morning, the governor was in a car accident while traveling to an event in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He and his team are uninjured. We appreciate the prayers and well wishes of the nation for his continued protection while on the campaign trail,” spokesperson Bryan Griffin said in a statement.

Mr DeSantis was set to attend fundraisers in Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Nashville on Tuesday as his campaign is reported to be floundering both in terms of funding and poll numbers.

The crash took place on I-75 South close to the 2.8-mile marker, south of the 153 exit, according to News Channel 9.

[26 July 2023 08:00 · Eric Garcia]

VOICES: Ron DeSantis is caught in a negative spiral of his own making

At this point, almost everyone, including his fans, acknowledge Florida Gov Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign has severely underperformed its expectations. He failed to raise more money than former president Donald Trump and his campaign has burned through cash, which has led to him shedding staff.

This weekend, two polls from Fox Business offered a double body blow to Mr DeSantis, with one showing that Mr Trump leads the governor by 30 points while Sen Tim Scott (R-SC) is biting at his heels. Even more brutally, a poll in South Carolina shows he now trails the state’s former Gov Nikki Haley by one point.

Longtime readers may remember back in February, I wrote that Ms Haley’s candidacy would not hurt Mr Trump but could be fatal to Mr DeSantis. The reasoning was simple: many of Mr Trump’s devotees will not consider anyone else for the GOP nomination, let alone someone on record badmouthing the former president.

That means that he and Ms Haley would have to compete for a smaller slice of non-Trump voters, which could in turn hurt Mr DeSantis as he is the leading non-Trump candidate. This very thing has taken place and on top of that, Mr Scott’s rise (particularly with Republican donors who now have buyer’s remorse with Mr DeSantis) has meant his slice of the electorate has dwindled.

[26 July 2023 09:00 · Holly Patrick]

Ron DeSantis: CCTV shows emergency services attending scene of presidential hopeful’s car crash

CCTV footage shows emergency services attending the scene of a car crash involving Ron DeSantis in Tennessee on Tuesday, 25 July.

The Republican presidential nominee was involved in a collision while travelling to an event in Chattanooga but was uninjured, his spokesperson Bryan Griffin said.

“We appreciate the prayers and well wishes of the nation for his continued protection while on the campaign trail,” Mr Griffin added.

Mr DeSantis, 44, had been scheduled to hold events in the state on Tuesday.

[26 July 2023 10:00 · John Bowden]

Ron DeSantis has already blown 40 per cent of his campaign donations – on private jets and fancy campaign dinners

Ron DeSantis’s campaign advisers took the rare (and sometimes fatal) step of acknowledging mismanagement of the Florida governor’s presidential bid this weekend, as reports revealed that he is burning through cash with little to show for it.

The Florida governor’s top staff and advisers were in Utah on Sunday where, according to Politico, they appeared in front of dozens of restless campaign donors who have expressed concern about a return on their investments and the overall trajectory of Mr DeSantis’s bid for the White House.

[26 July 2023 11:00 · Eric Garcia]

Nikki Haley leads Ron DeSantis in South Carolina, Fox poll shows

Two new polls from Fox Business show that Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s numbers in the Republican presidential primary continue to tumble in Iow in South Carolina, where the state’s former governor Nikki Haley has eclipsed him.

Fox Business surveyed 806 Iowa Caucus goers between 15 July and 19 July with a margin of error of 3.5 per centage points. It also surveyed 808 South Carolina Republican primary voters within the same time frame with the same margin of error as the Iowa survey.

[26 July 2023 12:00 · Gustaf Kilander]

Four cars in DeSantis motorcade collided with each other as traffic slowed, police say

Mr DeSantis was set to attend fundraisers in Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Nashville on Tuesday as his campaign is reported to be floundering both in terms of funding and poll numbers.

The crash took place on I-75 South close to the 2.8-mile marker, south of the 153 exit, according to News Channel 9.

Chattanooga Police told News Channel 9 that it was a minor crash and as traffic slowed down, four cars in the motorcade transporting Mr DeSantis collided with each other. Law enforcement said one of the staffers suffered a minor injury. Mr DeSantis and his staff continued their journey to the fundraisers.

[26 July 2023 13:00 · The Independent]

VIDEO: CCTV shows emergency services attending car crash scene

[26 July 2023 14:00 · Gustaf Kilander]

The DeSantis campaign was en route to fundraisers amid a campaign slump – when four vehicles in the motorcade crashed

The floundering campaign of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was on its way to scramble for more cash all over Tennessee when the journey came to an abrupt stop.

The motorcade transporting the governor and presidential candidate was involved in a crash on Tuesday morning, leaving one staffer with a minor injury. The governor was uninjured.

Here’s everything we know so far: