Haley PAC airs new ad calling DeSantis a Trump 'suck up'
A super PAC backing Nikki Haley's presidential campaign unveiled an ad in Iowa on Friday accusing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis of being a “suck up” of former President Donald J. Trump.
The advertisement uses old photos and videos to portray Mr. DeSantis as a Trump acolyte by abruptly flipping between different sets of images. The first is a series of photos in which Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Trump appear friendly, underscored by audio of a crowd chanting, “Who is your father?”
The ad alternates these photos with footage from an old campaign ad from Mr. DeSantis, who ran for governor in 2018, in which he recites some of Mr. Trump's campaign slogans to his children. In that ad, Mr. DeSantis used a “Make America Great Again” sign to teach one child to read, and taught another to “build the wall” using toy blocks.
“America needs strength — not a sucker punch,” concludes the ad, paid for by SFA Fund Inc., Ms. Haley’s super PAC. The committee is spending $1.6 million to run the ad in Iowa.
Mr. Trump's campaign has also used footage from that 2018 ad. In a video broadcast at campaign events, Mr. DeSantis is attacked as disloyal after Mr. Trump endorsed Mr. DeSantis' gubernatorial candidate.
Both Ms. Haley and Mr. DeSantis — and their allies — have been trying for months to present themselves as the best alternative to Mr. Trump, the front-runner in the Republican primaries. But while Ms. Haley has appealed to more mainstream Republicans, Mr. DeSantis has staked out a position to her right, taking more hardline positions as he tries to poach Mr. Trump's base.
Mr. DeSantis' campaign did not respond to a request for comment. But on Monday it began airing its “closing ad,” attacking Ms. Haley for comments she made saying voters in New Hampshire would “correct” the outcome of the Iowa caucuses.
The DeSantis campaign ad accuses Ms. Haley of discrediting Iowans and their groups, suggesting Mr. DeSantis is more aligned with the state's values.
Nicholas Nehamas reporting contributed.