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In an ad rivaling Donald Trump’s pudding-gate attack, Ron DeSantis shared the latest bizarre campaign video to come from the GOP party. The anti-LGBTQ ad, which was rife with images of shirtless men and murderous cinema characters, was denounced by Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy and producers on Wednesday for using show footage that was “obtained without permission or official license.”
“On behalf of the partners ofPeaky Blinders– Steven Knight, Cillian Murphy, Caryn Mandabach Productions, Tiger Aspect Productions and Baniay Rights – we confirm the footage of Tommy Shelby’s character used within the video posted by Ron DeSantis’ campaign was obtained without permission of official license,” the statement read. “We do not support nor endorse the vide’s narrative and strongly disapprove of the use of the content in this manner.”
The video was released on June 30 by DeSantis’s “Rapid response” twitter account, and contrasts Trump’s statements in support of the LGBTQ community with a string of headlines criticizing DeSantis for his legislative attacks on LGBTQ people. The footage is spliced with dramatic shots of murderous male characters in film including Murphy inPeaky Blinders, Christian Bale inAmerican Psycho (seriously), and Brad Pitt inTroy. Images of bodybuilders and DeSantis shooting lightning out of his eyes are peppered in for effect.
During Sunday’sState of the Union on CNN, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was asked about the ad, which drewcondemnationfrom the Log Cabin Republicans for “ventur[ing] into homophobic territory.”
“I’m going to choosemy words carefully — partlybecause I’m appearing assecretary — so I can’t talk aboutcampaigns,” began Buttigieg, the first openly gay Cabinet member.
He added, “I’m going toleave aside the strangeness oftrying to prove your manhood byputting up a video that splicesimages of you in between oiled-up, shirtless bodybuilders, andjust get to the bigger issuethat is on my mind whenever Isee this stuff in the policyspace, which is, again, who areyou trying to help?”
DeSantis, who has been hellbent on punishing Disney after it opposed the state’s anti-LGBTQ legislation, attempted to defend the trailer on OutKick’s “Tomi Lahren is Fearless” show, which is owned by Fox.
“Yeah look, I think identifying Donald Trump as really being a pioneer in injecting gender ideology into the mainstream, where he was having men compete against women in his beauty pageants, I think that’s totally fair game,” DeSantis said.
Despite the Florida governor’s attempts to shade his 2024 rival, DeSantis has repeatedly jumped to Trump’s defense amid criminal charges brought by the Justice Department. The former president, on the other hand, has handeddig after digagainst “Ron DeSanctimonious,” who he singled out as his principal nemesis.
