Florida state Rep. Randy Fine dropped his longtime support of Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday and announced he’s instead backing Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. In an op-ed published in The Washington Times, Fine criticized DeSantis for his management of antisemitic incidents in the state amid the Israel-Hamas war. Fine, who is Jewish, wrote, “Eighteen months ago, my Nazi ‘friends’ showed up in Florida. They assaulted a Rabbi. They beat up a Jew who yelled back at one of their protests.” He then noted Trump’s pro-Israel history, including helping organize the Abraham Accords peace treaties between Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates in 2020. “What is going on in the world would not be happening if he was still president. It didn't happen, because they were afraid of him,” Fine wrote. DeSantis’ press secretary, Bryan Griffin, responded to the op-ed on Tuesday, writing that “there’s never been a more pro-Israel Governor” and citing DeSantis’ efforts to send planes to rescue and bring Americans home from Israel.
