(TheLastPatriotNews.com) – Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign is trying to “steal” right-wing social media influencers from Donald Trump and the MAGA camp, alleges the left-wing magazine Rolling Stone.
According to the report, the teams of Florida’s governor and the former US president are locked in a behind-the-scenes battle “to secure online influencers.”
“Trump has for years had an army of extremely online supporters only too happy to engage in meme wars on behalf of the former reality-show host,” Rolling Stone comments.
“But sources tell Rolling Stone that Team DeSantis has tried to peel off influencers from the MAGA camp, offering access and (in one case) a job to buttress the governor’s online army,” it claims further.
The report describes The Babylon Bee, a conservative satirical site, as one of the “bigger prizes” in the social media influencer struggle between the Trump and DeSantis campaigns.
It notes that Trump used to tweet the Bee’s stories while the publication ridiculed his enemies.
Yet, their relations “soured” in February after pro-Trump activist Laura Loomer discovered the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC had paid $21,500 to The Babylon Bee.
She quoted the Bee’s owner Seth Dillon telling her that the payment was for “joke/speechwriting.”
“We help him [DeSantis] find funny angles on Democrats. We don’t attack Trump for him. That’s silly and false. They have never suggested that we write anything about Trump,” Dillon told Loomer via text.
The revelation reportedly infuriated Trump.
“You don’t spend that much money on The Babylon Bee if you’re running for Governor, in fact, you don’t spend money on The Babylon Bee if you’re running for anything!” Trump wrote on social media.
The Rolling Stone claims some Trump supporters already had misgivings about the ties between Dillon and DeSantis, as the former gave about $40,000 to the Florida governor’s reelection campaign last fall.
Then, after Loomer’s revelations, DeSantis invited the Bee’s owner to his press conference on a “Digital Bill of Rights.”
“[I am] thankful to have leadership here in Florida [that is] willing to take action to ensure we all have the right to speak and, yes, to even make jokes in the public square,” Dillan said at the event.
