Ron DeSantis decided he didn't want Ty Rushing — a Black journalist with The Iowa Starting Line —from entering his second campaign event in Iowa today, even though Rushing had registered beforehand — and even though he saw every other media outlet entering without a problem. So the fascist Florida man sicced armed deputies on Rushing and his colleague to bar them from entering the venue. (See his video below.)
"They said it's a private event. They don't want you. It is what it is," Deputy Bill McDaniel told Rushing and the other reporter as soon as they approached the event grounds. No further explanation was given.
Rushing and his colleague had attended the Florida governor's first event this morning (and has covered seven other DeSantis events in the past), the earlier one taking place in Atlantic, where Rushing noticed private security snapping photos of him. DeSantis henchmen then "began to shadow them around the event," said Rushing, "them" being himself and his colleague.
"In 10 years of covering news in Iowa, this is the first time I've ever been banned from covering an Iowa Caucus event," he posted on Twitter/X. And in the Iowa Starting Line: "My job is weird. One day, you're eating Iowa State Fair food with the governor of Minnesota, and the next day the Florida governor is banning you from his event."
Front page thumbnail image: Iowa Starting Line (screengrab)
