DeSantis defends record fighting antisemitism after Jewish GOP state lawmaker flips endorsement to Trump

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday defended his record standing up for Florida's Jewish community after a Republican lawmaker in his home state flipped his endorsement to former President Donald Trump and accused the governor of failing to address antisemitism.

Rep. Randy Fine, the lone Jewish Republican elected to the Florida legislature, said when the state experienced antisemitic demonstrations over the past 18 months, DeSantis "said almost nothing. And worse, he did almost nothing."

"The past two weeks have made me realize our choice as Jews is simple," Fine wrote in an op-ed published by the Washington Times. "We can vote for the Governor who says all the right things or we can vote for the President who actually does them. When it comes to action, Donald Trump has never ever let us down."

While campaigning in New Hampshire, DeSantis described Fine's remarks as "pure politics" and suggested the Republican representative was lashing out because he wasn't named president of Florida Atlantic University. A search committee for the university named in July three finalists for the post and Fine was not one of them.

Days later, the chancellor of the state university suspended the search. In August, Fine told a local television station he was asked to apply for the job by DeSantis, leading some to raise concerns that DeSantis or his allies had intervened to stop the search so Fine could be installed. However, the job remains vacant.

"He didn't get it. Now, he's running for (state) Senate. He's trying to ingratiate himself; totally ridiculous," DeSantis said. "What other governor has rescued people from Israel?"

Pressed on why he did not explicitly condemn neo-Nazi marches in Central Florida or antisemitic displays in Jacksonville in recent years like other Florida Republicans, DeSantis said he didn't want to "elevate" their "nonsense." DeSantis also suggested, as he did in the aftermath of neo-Nazi marches near Orlando, that they were trying to "smear" him.