Super PAC supporting Ron DeSantis drops ad accusing Donald Trump of spreading lies

A super PAC supporting Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential ambitions dropped a new ad Sunday morning accusing former President Donald Trump of spreading lies about DeSantis, in league with President Joe Biden and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Titled, “Fight Democrats, Not Republicans,” the ad from the Never Back Down PAC opens with images of Trump seated in court as the voiceover speaker says, “Donald Trump is being attacked by a Democrat prosecutor in New York, so why is he spending millions attacking the Republican Governor of Florida?”

It continues, “Trump is stealing pages from the Biden-Pelosi playbook, repeating lies about Social Security.”

The ad comes at a time in which Trump continues to see DeSantis as a major threat to his intentions to return to the White House, saying that the Florida Governor’s candidacy would hurt Republicans. 

It’s the first TV ad from the group, which launched online-only ads beforehand. The initial spots aired on Fox News Sunday.

The ad knocks DeSantis for saying that Social Security wouldn’t be messed with by Republicans, countering it with Trump saying entitlements would be on the table for consideration at some point.

By any measure, it’s an unusual path to take since Trump contradicted himself in saying he wouldn’t touch the programs. Indeed, it was the basis of the attack in the now-infamous “Pudding Fingers” ad.

Never Back Down placed ad buys recently in Iowa, Nevada and South Carolina. Initial reports pegged the buy at around $644,000. Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli founded the PAC in February. Notably, Cuccinelli last ran for office a decade ago and lost that campaign, which was for Virginia Governor, to Democrat Terry McAuliffe.