DeSantis claps back at Libs of TikTok in online feud: 'Truth shouldn’t be a casualty' to generate clicks
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis went after Libs of Tiktok – the popular social media account run by former real estate agent Chaya Raichik – for supposedly "lying" about a Florida law that does not permit illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses.
Raichik, whose account has nearly three million followers, posted a news video on X about three illegal immigrants from Guatemala who were arrested for forcing a woman into her car and sexually assaulting her. The post garnered over two million views on Wednesday.
"Apparently FL also gives illegals drivers licenses!" Raichik posted. "Biden's open borders allows v*olent criminals to terrorize Americans."
DeSantis, a staunch critic of President Biden's handling of the border crisis, informed Raichik in a follow-up post that Florida law prohibits illegal immigrants from obtaining driver's licenses, in addition to prohibiting "recognition of licenses issued to illegal aliens from other states."
Raichik's post also received a "community note," a feature on X that allows users to provide additional context or fact check.
"Truth shouldn't be a casualty of attempts to generate clicks and engagement farm," DeSantis wrote on X.
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DeSantis' press secretary, Jeremy Redfern, also chimed in and posted screenshots of users questioning why the governor would allow illegal migrants to obtain driver's licenses.
"This is the problem with posting things on the internet: people take you at your word, regardless of the truth," Redfern posted.
"The idea that Florida would provide a drivers license to any illegal alien, especially under this governor, is absurd," he said.
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Prior to the responses, Raichik posted in a separate thread, "To clarify- Florida law does not allow illegals to get a drivers license."
The interaction received mixed reactions. Some X users questioned whether DeSantis made the post himself and defended Raichik, while others asked her to delete the original post.
"This could have all been avoided with basic due diligence," Jenna Ellis, a former member of Trump's campaign legal team in 2020, wrote on X.
"@libsoftiktok should delete the tweet and apologize, more to preserve her own credibility than anything," she wrote.
Libs of TikTok gained popularity beginning in 2021 for exposing controversial elements in the education system, such as sexually explicit material in books and LGBTQ+ resources.
"Libs of TikTok" often reposts TikTok videos of left-wing users espousing their thoughts on cultural and racial issues. Earlier this year, Chaikik was appointed to a position in the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
Fox News' Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.