Politics

Nikki Haley Rips DeSantis As An ‘Echo’ Of Trump In New Campaign Ad

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Former U.N. Ambassador and Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley slammed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a new advertisement, claiming he is an “echo” of former President Donald Trump, just before the governor’s highly anticipated presidential announcement Wednesday evening.

Haley’s campaign released the video Wednesday titled “A Choice, Not An Echo,” ahead of DeSantis’ launch into the GOP primaries at 6 p.m. on Twitter Spaces with CEO Elon Musk. The ad displays side by side clips comparing the two men’s speaking styles, hand gestures and policy stances, followed by footage from Haley’s presidential announcement, where the campaign presents her as the alternative to Trump and DeSantis.

“He was totally different. Whatever I want, he wants,” Trump said of DeSantis in the opening of the video.

The ad then showed clips comparing Trump’s speeches with a DeSantis campaign video when he first ran for governor in 2018, where he recited the former president’s lines to his newborn son, like “you’re fired” and “make America great again.” The campaign also displayed side-by-side footage of the two men’s hand gestures and talking styles during speeches.

Haley’s campaign presented DeSantis’ stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, where he called it a “territorial dispute,” and drew similarities with Trump’s position.

“We’ll stand with our allies from Israel to Ukraine and stand up to our enemies in Iran and Russia,” said Haley. “Our moment is now, our mission is clear — let’s save our country and secure our future, and let’s move forward together toward our destiny in a strong and proud America.”

The video follows a campaign memo with a similar message Tuesday, where Haley’s campaign argued that while DeSantis has tried to present himself as “Trump without the drama,” he’s merely “Trump without the charm.”

“DeSantis might not have Trump’s taste for incendiary tweets but make no mistake: his record shows that his ‘leadership style’ will only lead to more drama,” Haley’s campaign manager, Betsy Ankney, wrote.

The memo highlighted several issues they believe make DeSantis a “disorganized” candidate, and criticized the governor for being an “echo” of Trump, as in the campaign video. Ankney knocked DeSantis’ proposed legislation that would’ve made it easier to sue media outlets, as well as a Florida congressman declining to endorse the governor for president because DeSantis did not personally reach out.

“America deserves a choice, not an echo,” the campaign video read.

DeSantis’ political team did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.