July 25, 202304:37
Hochman shared a video from the Twitter account @desantiscams that criticized former President Donald Trump and concluded with an image of DeSantis standing in front of a sonnenrad — a symbol co-opted by the Nazis and promoted in modern times by fascist sympathizers — as soldiers marched by.
Republican strategist Luke Thompson, a regular critic of the DeSantis campaign on Twitter, first noted the video. The account has shared similarly styled pro-DeSantis videos since it launched in March.
Last year, The Dispatch reported that Hochman participated in a Twitter Space with white nationalist Nick Fuentes, saying Fuentes is “probably a better influence than Ben Shapiro on young men who might otherwise be conservative.” (Hochman later said he had said some “really stupid things” that he did not “actually believe.”)
The DeSantis campaign has fired more than 40% of its original staff within months of having launched following concerns over its spending and large staff footprint. In total, 38 staffers have been cut since the campaign’s launch in late May, including at least 26 on Tuesday afternoon. Politico first reported the latest round of cuts.
Allan Smith
Allan Smith is a political reporter for NBC News.
Katherine Doyle
Katherine Doyle is a White House reporter for NBC News.
Alex Tabet contributed.