Two protesters ran on stage Friday night when Ron DeSantis was addressing a fundraiser for New Hampshire’s Republican Party, causing security to rush in after them.
The Florida governor looked startled when the two young women ran up and started to unfurl a banner. They made it all the way to the podium where he was speaking before security intercepted them.
‘Jews Against DeSantis,’ they yelled. ‘Jews Against DeSantis.’
Several security guards ran to the stage to remove them, pulling them out of the room as the governor resumed his remarks. DeSantis watched with quiet bemusement at the spectacle around him as the women were drug behind him and taken away.
He shrugged it off: ‘Got to have a little spice in the speech, right?’
‘You have to have a little fun,’ he continued.
He added that he didn’t know why people would pay the ticket price for the fundraiser to pull such a move – tickets were $150 each – but added ‘different strokes for different folks.’
The crowd cheered him on. The protest happened in the first five minutes of his remarks.
Wow. A group of protestors just interrupted Ron DeSantis’ NRA speech and chanted “Jews against DeSantis.” I assume this is because of DeSantis’ refusal to condemn Nazism in his own state
pic.twitter.com/i6BOo4gZKZ— Dash Dobrofsky (@DashDobrofsky) April 14, 2023
The protesters on stage weren’t the only ones targeting the Florida governor on Friday night. There were also demonstrators outside the venue in Manchester, waving Donald Trump signs.
DeSantis has garnered national attention amid speculation he’ll run for president next year.
New Hampshire is one of the few states were DeSantis has led Trump in polls on the 2024 presidential race. The former president has seen a rebound in his numbers, however, as he faces a New York court date for charges tied to a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
The Florida governor has not formally announced he’s running for president in 2024. But he’s on a book tour that many see as a precursor to such a campaign. It’s taking him to important early voting states like Iowa, Michigan and New Hampshire.
DeSantis heads to South Carolina next week – another important stop in the Republican presidential primary process.
The Florida governor spent most of his remarks praising New Hampshire for its ‘Live Free or Die’ motto, reminding Granite State voters that the people of Florida also valued freedom.
And he talked about what he had done to preserve it, highlighting how he kept the state open during the pandemic and how he took on Walt Disney company.
‘We’re proud to have stood up for freedom over these last few years, especially when it wasn’t easy. We did it our own way and we’re proud of that. But I must admit we draw inspiration from the people here in New Hampshire,’ he said.
‘We’re Americans right? Isn’t freedom in our DNA?’
After the speech, he was given a gift basket of maple syrup products.
‘I’ve got three kids that love waffles and pancakes,’ he said in thanks.
DeSantis headlined the most successful state Republican Party fundraiser in its history, according to New Hampshire Republican Party chairman Chris Ager.
‘We have raised over $382,000,’ Ager said at the Amos Tuck dinner. ‘Largest ever.’
He also said that $132,000 of that came in because DeSantis asked his supporters to contribute.
The ballroom was filled to capacity with slightly more than 500 people, according to the party’s count.
After his remarks, DeSantis spent nearly an hour working the ballroom, shaking hands, taking selfies and signing copies of his book.
‘This is so exciting,’ one woman squealed after she got a picture with the governor.
DeSantis will overnight in New Hampshire and hold private meetings on Saturday. The state is famous for its first-in-the-nation presidential primary and often gives winners the momentum they need to keep going in the race for the GOP nomination.
Tickets were sold for $150 a pop or $500 for a VIP ticket. DeSantis joined the VIP reception ahead of his speech to take photos with the high-level donors.
The dinner was named after Amos Tuck, who is considered by many to have founded the Republican Party in the 1850s in Exeter, New Hampshire.
