A video recently surfaced showing Democratic candidate for Florida governor Charlie Crist comparing himself to Jesus Christ and his opponent, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, to Satan.
The video, first shared by the rapid response media wing of the DeSantis gubernatorial re-election campaign, was from a Crist event on March 17, 2022, DeSantis War Room, the rapid-response arm of the governor’s campaign, told the Daily Caller.
@PinellasDems, thank you for making our volunteer kick-off a big hit. We’re taking back Florida this year!
Want to do your part to kick DeSantis out of office? Sign up to volunteer with us ➡️ https://t.co/KllmP3kYQy pic.twitter.com/eKCiEWe6zj
— Charlie Crist (@CharlieCrist) March 18, 2022
After saying the 2022 election for governor was “about decency” and “being kind to everyone,” Crist described the election as a choice between a “uniter” — himself — and a “divider,” referring to DeSantis.
“You know some people call him DeSatan? Have you heard that?” Crist said.
“DeSatan versus that,” Crist continued, pointing to a campaign sign behind him displaying his own last name in large letters. (RELATED: DeSantis Suspends Four School Board Members For ‘Incompetence’ In Stoneman Douglas Shooting)
A voice in the crowd shouted “Christ,” to which Crist replied, “Oh think about it! Boom!”
Crist also compared himself to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, referring to the blue and yellow colors of his own campaign sign.
“Look at that sign right there. You see the colors? The blue and the yellow. Does that remind you of any country that’s in the news?” Crist said.
“Ukraine,” a few people in the crowd shouted.
“Yeah, we’re fighting for freedom too. And Zelenskyy, President Zelenskyy, he’s amazing,” Crist continued.
“It is crystal. He’s bad, we’re good,” Crist concluded, still referring to DeSantis.
The Crist campaign did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.
Editor’s Note: This piece has been updated with a comment from the DeSantis campaign.