Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was mocked on social media after he was caught on video running away from a reporter’s question about President Donald Trump’s $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” The fund was created as part of a settlement in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, which was filed after the agency leaked his tax information.
Several Republican lawmakers have criticized the fund, warning it could be used to compensate people who committed violence against police and Trump’s political opponents. The incident happened on a Friday afternoon when a reporter tried to get DeSantis to comment on the fund. Instead of responding, DeSantis broke into a run up a flight of stairs and headed for the exit. The video went viral quickly, with many people on social media mocking the governor’s reaction.
“He LITERALLY can’t run faster away,” wrote former Florida Agriculture Secretary and state Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried, reports RawStory. “Governor Drive-ins and Diners puts a hurting on those three or four stairs,” wrote Florida Politics editor Peter Schorsch. Economist and author Anders Åslund wrote, “To be a Trump loyalist is to be a coward & refuse to tell the truth or stick to the rule of law.”
Republican pushback against the Anti-Weaponization Fund is growing louder
Sen. Thom Tillis has been one of the most vocal critics of the fund, calling it the “payout pot for punks.” He has also raised concern that people who committed violence against police could be eligible for compensation, saying, “These people don’t deserve restitution, they — many of them deserve to be in prison.” Trump attacked Tillis on the same Friday, calling him a “RINO” — short for “Republican in Name Only” — and a “quitter.”
Trump wrote that after he told Tillis he would not endorse him, Tillis “immediately quit the race and publicly announced that he was going to ‘retire.'” When asked by reporters on Thursday about Trump going after Republican incumbents in primaries, Tillis responded, “Be careful what you ask for.”
According to ABC News, Sen. Bill Cassidy also criticized the fund after losing his own primary race when Trump endorsed his opponent. Cassidy wrote on X, “People are concerned about paying their mortgage or rent, affording groceries and paying for gas, not about putting together a $1.8 billion fund for the President and his allies to pay whomever they wish with no legal precedent or accountability.”
Critics have broadly described the fund as “slush money” for Trump and his allies, pointing out that it has no legal precedent or accountability. They have also noted that Trump was effectively on both sides of the IRS lawsuit, which makes the settlement agreement unusual and controversial. Florida’s political scene has been full of unusual moments, such as when a GOP candidate used Tinder to target young female voters before his campaign took a strange turn.
Trump, however, has defended the fund, claiming that he “gave up a lot of money” by letting it move forward and that he could have made an “absolute fortune” without the IRS settlement. In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote, “Instead, I am helping others, who were so badly abused by an evil, corrupt, and weaponized Biden Administration, receive, at long last, JUSTICE!”
The debate around the fund has continued to grow in Washington, with lawmakers on both sides weighing in. With Trump and his allies defending the fund while several Republican senators have spoken out against it, the controversy shows no signs of settling down anytime soon. Florida has seen its share of political controversy lately, including a case where a state employee was fired over a political meme repost and ended up winning a $485,000 settlement.
Published: May 23, 2026 01:30 pm