DeSantis Deployed Debate Dog Whistle: "Soros" Funded DAs, "Inmates Running the Asylum"

At the GOP Debate in Milwaukee, Governor Ron DeSantis bragged about removing two democratically elected district attorneys from office, Hillsborough prosecutor Andrew Warren in 2022 and Orlando-area State Attorney Monique Worrell earlier this month. DeSantis removed Worrell after reshuffling his floundering campaign drawing criticism that the removal was "red meat" for his base. DeSantis then attacked non-politically aligned district attorneys as "inmates running the asylum."

"These hollowed out cities, this is a symptom of America's decline and one of the biggest reasons is because you have George Soros funding these radial left wing district attorneys that get into office and say they're not going to prosecute crimes they disagree with. The inmates start running the asylum. There's one guy in this entire country that's ever done anything about that. Me, when we had two of these district attorneys in Florida, elected with Soros funding who said they wouldn't do their job, I removed them from their post. They are gone and as president we are going to go after all of these people..."

The debate crowd cheered. They knew exactly what he meant. Ron DeSantis' dog whistle was two-fold, antisemitic and anti-Black. First, using the name "Soros" affirms antisemitic members of the MAGA Republican base who believe Jews are controlling things behind the scenes. Second, the last attorney DeSantis removed is black. When the MAGA base hears "district attorney" they think of Alvin Bragg and Fani Willis who are both black. When Ron DeSantis calls them "inmates" and pledges to "go after all these people" as president, they know what he means, those black attorneys, those "inmates," who aren't politically aligned with the MAGA head-in-the-sand worldview.

Worrell herself told Joy Reid that this is what Ron DeSantis is communicating to his "take back the country" base.