Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took aim at former President Donald Trump for "praising" a former Black Lives Matter (BLM) leader's endorsement.
In a Wednesday Truth Social post, Trump thanked co-founder and former senior director of the Rhode Island BLM chapter Mark Fisher for his endorsement.
Later Wednesday, DeSantis said Trump "celebrating" praise from BLM made "perfect sense."
"When BLM was burning down cities and assaulting police officers in cities across the country, Trump did nothing but sit in the White House tweeting, "LAW & ORDER!"‘ DeSantis wrote, referencing Trump's late-May post to X, then Twitter, at the height of the George Floyd and BLM riots.
"We did it differently in Florida. I didn’t just tweet," DeSantis said. "I took action and called up the National Guard. We were not going to let our cities burn."
"As President, I will not sit idly by and watch rioters torch American cities," the Florida governor concluded.
Earlier this month, Fisher said Trump was “the best candidate we have" during an interview with political analyst Kim Iverson.
The former BLM leader also said the Democratic Party was "a racist party that strikes at the heart of the black family and the nuclear family."
"We’ve been used and abused for so long at that party,” he said. “They don’t value our vote. Their policies are basically racist policies."
Fisher said he believed Trump because "he's the opposite." "He’s gonna tell you how it is. He’s gonna give it to you straight," Fisher added. "He’s not gonna [be a] hypocrite and stab you in the back like the Democratic Party loves to do.”
During a Wednesday appearance on Fox News, Fisher reiterated his praise for Trump and said the Democratic Party was hypocritical and not for black people.
"Spoke with Mark Fisher yesterday, a great guy," Trump wrote in his Truth Social post. "Very honored to have his and BLM's support."
Trump said he had done more for black Americans than any other president besides Abraham Lincoln.
"Ten-year funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, where they had none," he continued. "Opportunity Zones, Criminal Justice Reform, and much more."
"Thank you to Mark," Trump concluded.
According to Newsweek, a spokesperson for BLM Rhode Island confirmed Fisher is "no longer affiliated" with the group.
"His position with us was and is terminated," the group clarified.
