Ron DeSantis’ town hall which was put on by Fox News was unexpectedly disrupted by protesters, who positioned a banner in front of the Republican presidential candidate’s face and vocalized the shout, “No oil money!”
The incident occurred on Tuesday as DeSantis was responding to an inquiry from the audience regarding abortion.
“It took 48 years for us to overturn Roe v. Wade. I’m a Christian, right? So I was in that battle. And then now that we get it done, the Republicans are running from it. They’re hiding from it. I mean, why don’t we own it?” a man in attendance asked. “I mean, that’s what we wanted. Why don’t we own it? How are you going to address this?”
As DeSantis began to reply, a contingent of demonstrators advanced towards him on the podium, brandishing a yellow banner and vociferously screaming, “No oil money!” Meanwhile, DeSantis observed with a shocked look on his face at first.
The demonstrators were promptly removed, although their vocalizations persisted for an additional duration of 10 seconds.
“You know, you live and you learn with these people, right?” DeSantis quipped, and then laughed. “Alright. Alright. Well, you guys– that was a mistake. You guys didn’t get that one right. Ok.”
Shortly after the event, the DeSantis campaign shared a video of the protesters accompanied by the statement, “Ron DeSantis roasts leftist disruptors.”
DeSantis is familiar with the occurrence of protesters causing disruptions on his visits to Iowa.
Last Summer, a woman at one of his campaign events in the state caused a disturbance by shouting, “Go back to Florida, pudding fingers!”
In a rare interview with Breitbart News, former President Donald Trump revealed his intention to perhaps organize a rally at Madison Square Garden as a strategic move to secure victory in traditionally Democratic areas such as New York.
“I’m going to make a heavy play for New York, heavy play for New Jersey, heavy play for Virginia, heavy play for New Mexico, and a heavy play for a state that hasn’t been won in years, Minnesota,” Trump stated in the interview with Breitbart. “I’m going to do rallies, I’m going to do speeches, I’m going to work them. That doesn’t mean I’m going to work them as hard as I work Pennsylvania, where I’m doing very well.
“But we’re going to do these other states too, and it will be a heavy move,” Trump went on. “I may rent Madison Square Garden and that’s the belly of the beast, right?”
Matthew Boyle and Alexander Marlow, reporters for Breitbart, provided an analysis on the importance of “The Garden”.
A Trump rally in Madison Square Garden certainly would be the “belly of the beast” in the heart of a Democrat stronghold, but it’s also in a city near and dear to Trump’s heart. Trump recently appeared at Madison Square Garden alongside former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, rocker Kid Rock, his son Donald Trump Jr., and UFC’s Dana White for the big UFC fight there in November. When Trump walked into the Garden, the crowd went wild. While that was a big moment for him, doing his own rally there would be a significantly bigger step and investment of campaign resources into the heart of a deep-blue state.
“We have some very good people there,” Trump stated in reference to New York Republicans, notably Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY).
“So, I believe we have a chance to win New York. I believe we have a chance to win New Jersey. If you look at Lee, he lost by a pretty close race. But it’s 100 times worse now than it was two years ago. Now, you have people — you have migrants living on Madison Avenue. You can’t get into a hospital. You can’t get into a school. You go to a public school and half the kids are sitting there and have no idea what the teacher is saying. You can’t get into these schools. I think it’s really bad and I think the people in New York and New Jersey and a lot of these states are — it would have been semi-unthinkable but I think these are states that can be won.”
Donald Trump may be considering a rally at Madison Square Garden, in his hometown of New York City, according to reports. NEWSMAX correspondent Mike Carter speaks with New Yorkers about the possibility.@MikeCarterTV pic.twitter.com/ZqwGG5091F
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) January 3, 2024
“Trump has not lived in New York since he won the presidency—he moved to Washington, obviously, to live in the White House in early 2017 when he became president. Since he left office, he has lived primarily here at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, but has also spent his summers in northern New Jersey at his Bedminster property. Of New York City, though, he said things have taken a dark turn since he left the Big Apple,” Breitbart reported.
“It’s a different place from when I left,” Trump told the outlet.
Leftist show host Dean Obeidallah had his mind in shambles when he heard and he compared a possible rally at the Garden to a Nazi one.
“Trump says he may rent Madison Square Garden for a rally. He will never win NY. So why is he doing a rally there? Trump wants a rally at MSG because there was a famous Nazi rally there in 1939 and MAGA is a modern version of that movement,” Obeidallah poted on X.
Trump says he may rent Madison Square Garden for a rally. He will never win NY. So why is he doing a rally there? Trump wants a rally at MSG because there was a famous Nazi rally there in 1939 and MAGA is a modern version of that movement. https://t.co/1wg9pI09Fg
— (((DeanObeidallah))) (@DeanObeidallah) January 2, 2024
“I left New York 8 years ago,” Trump added later in the interview. “We had already suffered from De Blasio a little bit. But it hadn’t been long enough. He was a horrible mayor. He was the worst mayor in the history of New York. We were suffering from De Blasio a little bit but it was eight years ago when I left, and when I left it was the hottest thing. Now, you look at it and what they’ve done to that beautiful place is just horrible. So, I think I have a chance there. I will spend time that I would normally not be working on New York and New Jersey and other places.”