Trump campaign sells ‘listless vessel’ merch in play on DeSantis comments
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (FLV) – Former President Donald Trump’s campaign is capitalizing on recent comments from Gov. Ron DeSantis calling Trump and congressional endorsers “listless vessels.”
DeSantis’ campaign said the comments were directed at those “DC insiders” because they “feel entitled to your vote.”
The comments from DeSantis have been compared to former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” comments – both now appearing on a $36 T-shirt.
The shirt design displays “deplorable” and “listless vessel” crossed out, with a big-bolded “PATRIOT” and an American flag displayed below.
“Ultimately, a movement can’t be about the personality of one individual,” DeSantis originally said. “The movement has got to be about – what are you trying to achieve on behalf of the American people? And that’s god to be based on principle.”
“If you’re not rooted in principle, if all we are is listless vessels that are supposed to follow whatever happens to come down the pike on Truth Social every morning, that’s not going to be a durable movement,” the governor said.
DeSantis campaign secretary Bryan Griffin said DeSantis was primely referring to “Donald Trump and some congressional endorsers” as “listless vessels.”
“Trump and DC insiders feel he is entitled to your vote,” Griffin explained. “Ron DeSantis believes your trust should be earned and has the vision, plan, and record to beat Joe Biden and reverse the decline of our country.”
“That’s why Ron DeSantis will be showing up on Wednesday night to debate, and Donald Trump will not,” Griffin concluded.
In a statement entitled “The Dishonest Media Refuses to Report the Facts,” the DeSantis campaign explained that the governor’s point was that “each candidate competing for our party’s nomination for president should be held to these standards [principles] as they seek to earn every one of our votes.”
Trump over the weekend confirmed he will not debate the other candidates on stage in Milwaukee, citing his wide national polling lead.
