A group of Donald Trump supporters were turned away from a Ron DeSantis signing after he reportedly ordered security to kick out fans of the former president.
The Florida governor was at a Books-a-Million store in Leesburg, Florida, on Tuesday as Trump supporters attempted to participate in the event.
However, the group was not allowed in, with video of the incident showing security telling them, “They told me to tell everyone wearing Trump to go now.”
The group then angrily calls out the order, calling out DeSantis for not supporting “free speech” as tensions mount between Trump and the governor, who is leading the latest Republican poll for a potential GOP presidential frontrunner.
A security guard told Donald Trump supporters not to attend a signing for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
It’s the latest friction between allies turned rivals Donald Trump (left) and Ron DeSantis (right)
The video, shared by conservative Laura Loomer, shows outraged Trump supporters frustrated by the security guard who told them they weren’t allowed in.
“DeSantis people are in there and made me come out to tell you guys not to be here while he’s here signing books,” the officer told the group, who were dressed in Trump shirts and placards.
As the group reiterated that DeSantis will not let them demonstrate, they accused him of being against free speech.
The upset guard then says, “Okay. Now you sound like CNN.”
After the incident, Loomer said The everyday beast“The police showed up and they told us we would be accosted and arrested for trespassing if we didn’t leave because DeSantis didn’t want us in.” It shows that he is a tyrant.’
The Leesburg Police Department did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
The incident was the latest falling out between supporters of Trump and DeSantis, as the two men are touted as the potential GOP pick for the president to run against Joe Biden.
Trump continued to regularly bash DeSantis, with the former president recently accusing his former ally of being backed by a “perverse” organization and of being a “RINO in disguise.”
The post on Truth Social, Trump’s social media website, came nearly 24 hours after he promised not to shame DeSantis following reports that he privately referred to the GOP governor as “Meatball Ron.”
‘Ron DeSanctimonious wants to cut your Social Security and Medicare, lock down Florida and its beaches, likes RINOS Paul Ryan, Jeb Bush and Karl Rove (all disasters!), is supported by Globalist’s Club for NO Growth, Lincoln Pervert Project, & “Uninspired” Koch – And it only gets worse from there,” Trump wrote.
“He’s a RINO in disguise!” he lamented, “whose Poll numbers are plummeting. Good luck Ron!’
Pictured: DeSantis hands out books at the signing event
Trump supporters, waving flags and signs, called the governor ‘anti-freedom of speech’
The latest insult came after Trump said in a Truth Social post Saturday that he will not call DeSantis by the nickname “Meatball Ron” because it would be “inappropriate.”
The floodgates opened against DeSantis when Trump hit the campaign trail late last month. He told reporters on his plane between events in New Hampshire and South Carolina that it would be very “disloyal” for DeSantis to launch a primary bid against him in 2024.
Despite the former president’s bashing, a poll of 1,000 Republicans shows that voters in the 2024 primary are increasingly favoring DeSantis to be the GOP nominee — even as they face eight other candidates.
Results of a WPA Intelligence poll conducted Feb. 13-16 and shared with DailyMail.com before its release revealed that DeSantis would also win in a head-to-head battle with Trump by 24 percent.
In the nine-way primary, DeSantis would land a commanding victory with 40 percent of the Republican vote. This includes candidates who have already announced themselves and some of the bigger names likely to enter the race in the coming months.
Trump comes in second in the hypothetical race with 31 percent support — trailing 9 percent to Florida’s governor, who is holding steady as the most popular GOP candidate for 2024, according to several recent polls.
Director at WPA Intelligence Amanda Iovino said in a statement to DailyMail.com that polls have consistently shown, as concerns grow about Trump’s ability to be the “face” of the GOP, DeSantis’ landslide victory in 2022 in Florida has lost momentum as a rising star has continued the party.
Former President Donald Trump comes second with 31%, according to the WPA Intelligence survey shared with DailyMail.com
A hypothetical head-to-head between Trump and DeSantis shows Florida governor’s lead widening to 24% ahead of former president
“Since the midterm elections, our polls have consistently shown that while former President Trump is still popular among Republicans, GOP primary voters are concerned about whether he should continue to be the face and leader of the party,” Iovino said.
At the same time, Governor DeSantis’ popularity has grown since his 19-point victory in Florida. This combination appears to weaken Trump’s position in the primary and strengthen Florida’s governor.”
Trump-era Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who is also the former governor of South Carolina, earned 8 percent of the vote.
She announced her candidacy for president last week with a kick-off event in her home state, which is also an early primary contest state.
No other candidate included in WPA’s hypothetical election has officially announced a bid.
