DeSantis Campaign Fires Staffer Nate Hochman For Using Nazi Imagery In Promotional Video

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) fired a presidential campaign staffer Nate Hochman this week after he promoted Nazi imagery in a pro-DeSantis video.

Hochman was a speechwriter who previously worked at The National Review, a conservative publication. He created a video on Tuesday that depicted DeSantis at the center of Florida’s state seal that morphed into Sonnenrad, an ancient European symbol that was used in Nazi propaganda.

“Nate Hochman is no longer with the campaign. And we will not be commenting on him further,” told a DeSantis campaign official to The Hill on Tuesday.

DeSantis’ campaign for the 2024 presidential election has had a rough start. He has already fired 38 staff members and has been under scrutiny for other campaign materials, such as a homophobic advertisement that was released last month.

The Florida governor is currently trailing Republican frontrunner Donald Trump by more than 20 points. He has qualified for the first GOP primary debate on August 23 and has done well in fundraising, but is not extremely well-liked by voters.

Many fear that DeSantis’ far-right ideologies on issues such as abortion restrictions, LGBTQ rights and gun control are too extreme and have thus chosen to support other Republican candidates, such as centrists Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) and Doug Burgum.