Ron DeSantis says ‘Trump voters’ are treated like ‘domestic enemies’
Gov. Ron DeSantis at Ariel University, 2019. [Photo: A.G. Gancarski]

israeli trip - desantis university
DeSantis said left didn't care about Ben and Jerry's refusal to sell in parts of Israel.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, on Tuesday’s Mark Levin Show, contended that President Joe Biden and the left would rather treat “Trump voters” like “domestic enemies” than to take a position on Ben and Jerry’s not selling ice cream in what it calls the “Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

The Governor, after predicting that parent company Unilever would force a reversal from the ice cream subsidiary, theorized many on the left aren’t outraged by the move because it “doesn’t fit the narrative.”

“The narrative that they want is, I mean there’s a couple different ones, but the primary one I think they want is kind of conservative Trump voters are effectively domestic enemies, is what they’re trying to accomplish.”

DeSantis went on to suggest that investigations into the riot at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 might just be a way to frame so-called “domestic enemies,” seemingly blurring the lines between Trump voters, “conservative dissenters,” and those accused of “domestic extremism.”

“You see that with how they’ve tried to frame Jan. 6 as like a 9/11 type attack on the country. You also see it, how they have the FBI and some of the law enforcement focusing more on what they consider ‘domestic extremism’, which is basically just conservative dissenters from their orthodoxy, and they want to view them as the number one problem,” DeSantis told Levin, seemingly conflating discrete groups of people.

“I think you start talking antisemitism, a lot of that comes from the left and it doesn’t fit the narrative that they’re trying to accomplish,” DeSantis continued. “Corporate media’s not talking about it. They sweep it under the rug as well.”

DeSantis has gone to great lengths to cultivate a relationship with Israel, including a trade mission in his first year in office that included a Florida Cabinet meeting in the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.

Last week, the Governor urged the State Board of Administration (SBA) to add Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever to the Continued Examination Companies that Boycott Israel List, and to begin the process to add the companies to the Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel List, in the wake of the company’s decision to limit distribution in Israel.

“These actions affirm the State of Florida’s relationship with the State of Israel and our commitment to a swift response to those who discriminate against the Israeli people,” DeSantis wrote SBA Director Ash Williams on Thursday.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has written for FloridaPolitics.com since 2014. He is based in Northeast Florida. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


11 comments

  • Tom Palmer

    July 27, 2021 at 10:03 pm

    Domestic terrorists should face charges . By the way, this is coming from a guy whose spokesperson is calling journalists enemies of the state, right out of the authoritarian playbook. Ben & Jerry is a private company. They can put or not put their stores wherever they want.

    • joe blow

      July 28, 2021 at 7:38 am

      so it’s ok not to serve ice cream in israel but not ok for a cake maker to refuse making a cake for a gay couple?

  • Michael Hoffmann

    July 27, 2021 at 10:36 pm

    The Jock in Chief is losing his edge when he has to take on Ben and Jerry. Easier to take them, I guess, than to listen to four police officers tell how DJT’s minions tried to halt the Electoral College from tolling Trump’s huge defeat.

  • Frankie M.

    July 27, 2021 at 11:18 pm

    I wonder how long it would take Ronnie to lock up those “freedom fighters” if they stormed the Governor’s mansion like they did the Capitol on January 6th?

    Back when I was in the military you swore an oath to defend this country against all enemies both foreign and domestic. Apparently Ronnie has a short memory. I’m worried about his cognitive dissonance. He does not seem to be all there. We got a wave of covid hitting us & he’s worried about ice cream. Maybe he should resign and seek medical help. See what I did there?

  • Lan Solo

    July 28, 2021 at 12:21 am

    “The narrative that they want is, I mean there’s a couple different ones, but the primary one I think they want is kind of conservative Trump voters are effectively domestic enemies, is what they’re trying to accomplish.”

    We don’t need a narrative, you’re doing a fine job of proving it with your daily decisions (risking American lives by not promoting mask wearing indoors in public spaces, supporting the big lie while pushing for voter suppression techniques, downplaying the Jan 6 insurrection, the list goes on and on. Don’t get me started about your racist bs..

    • Tom

      July 28, 2021 at 7:45 am

      LMAO, Liberal scream in play.
      Melt down by a bunch of left wing Dem Partisans, blind leading the blind. Another big win coming in November 22 with America’s Gov. leading the way. Wah, Wah wah, you babies.

  • Phil Morton

    July 28, 2021 at 8:47 am

    That’s not true. If you voted for Trump on November 3, 2020, I strongly disagree with your choice. However, if you’d still vote for Trump after Jan. 6, then yes, that’s accurate.

  • Tracey A

    July 28, 2021 at 10:45 am

    Wow! i didn’t realize not being able to buy Ben and Jerry’s ice cream was worse than domestic terrorists assaulting the capitol to overturn the results of an election.

  • JoAnne

    July 28, 2021 at 10:55 am

    The only terrorists here are the communist anti-American democrats who have invaded FL. Go back to a blue state.

    • Deb Dunn

      August 3, 2021 at 10:43 am

      baby this state was the pride of the USA before the TX GOP took control 21 years ago. We were 50% in national school tests, now we are only second from the bottom with GA being the only schools lower than us. GOP bragging about “improving” schools. Test scores don’t show that. We once supplied tons of food to this country now farms have turned into houses. You can’t eat houses. FYI Florida IS a Blue state, just look at how many registered voters are Dems.

  • tjb

    July 28, 2021 at 3:47 pm

    DeSantis is twisting the truth again. It is not the voters that are being treated like domestic terrorists, it is the mob that assaulted the US Capitol, the institution that represents American democracy, on Jan 6th. Thank God they did not use frozen Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked containers as weapons.

Comments are closed.


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