Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy criticized Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after the Never Back Down super PAC released an ad Thursday promoting DeSantis’ potential 2024 presidential bid.
“The jig is up. We know Ron is running for president. He wants to be able to coordinate with his super PAC to keep filling his campaign coffers. It’s what most career politicians would do. But it’s dishonest and fake,” Ramaswamy told the Daily Caller.
Ramaswamy is an author and businessman running a self-funded presidential campaign. He initially supported DeSantis for the Republican nomination before jumping into the race as an outsider, he told Daily Caller News Editor Grayson Quay in an exclusive interview. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Vivek Ramaswamy Talks God, China And The 2024 Campaign)
Never Back Down is a super PAC supporting DeSantis’ widely anticipated presidential campaign. The group rolled out its first pro-DeSantis ad Thursday, highlighting the governor’s opposition to COVID-19 lockdowns and his support for parents’ rights in education.
Across the country, men and women are willing to fight alongside Governor Ron DeSantis, because he inspires us to never back down. pic.twitter.com/nRz3Kb6cYP
— Never Back Down (@NvrBackDown24) April 13, 2023
“When the world went mad, we stood as a refuge of sanity,” the ad says. “Across the country, men and women willing to fight. Standing up for our children, their education and a better future.”
“Pushing back against the woke left and unleashing a next-generation economy,” the ad continues.
The group is spending an estimated $1 million to broadcast the pro-DeSantis ad nationally, following a $30 million fundraising haul since it launched March 9, Fox News reported.
Former Trump official Ken Cuccinelli founded the PAC and quickly brought multiple former Trump aides into the fold. It is expected to provide outside funding to DeSantis’ presidential campaign, according to The Washington Post.
DeSantis is expected to announce his presidential campaign when the Florida legislative session ends in May. He will likely become former President Donald Trump’s most formidable competitor for the Republican nomination based on state and national polls.
Never Back Down and Team DeSantis did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Caller.