Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis released an ad Monday spoofing the movie “Top Gun” as he prepares for his re-election bid.
The 60-second “Top Gov” ad is a spin on “Top Gun” and opens with DeSantis dressed as a fighter pilot giving a lesson in “air combat – tackling corporate media.”
DeSantis then lists the “rules of engagement.”
“First, don’t shoot unless you’re shot, but when they shoot, you fire back with overwhelming force.” The ad then plays a clip of DeSantis pushing the reporter away. Evan Donovanwho referred to HB 1557 as the legislation “critics call the bill ‘Don’t Say Gay’.”
“Is it said in the bill?” DeSantis fires back, saying it doesn’t matter what the critics say because the wording isn’t actually in the bill.
Top Gov… Dogfighting… Tackling Corporate Media…
The rules of engagement are as follows:
— Casey DeSantis (@CaseyDeSantis) August 23, 2022
“Number two, never back down from a fight.” (RELATED: ‘Where Did This Come From?’ Governor DeSantis Pushes Back After Reporter Confronts Him About So-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill)
DeSantis is then shown telling a CNN reporter to ask a question rather than deliver a speech as the governor discusses the state’s vaccine rollout plan.
“Number three, don’t accept their story.”
The ad harkens back to Donovan’s March meet, with DeSantis telling Donovan he’s peddling “false stories” and doesn’t “care about facts.”
“Let’s spin and burn,” the ad continues.
DeSantis is considered the likely winner of the November race and has $128 million in re-election funds. Nikki Fried and Charlie Crist will face off in the primary for the Democratic nomination on Tuesday.
DeSantis has also been mooted as a possible 2024 contender, with polls showing him trailing former President Donald Trump in a potential matchup. A WDIV/Detroit News survey from July found that 45.2% of those polled favored Trump while 41.6% favored DeSantis. The Florida governor drew more support from college-educated voters.
