Donald Trump Supporters Stomp on Ron DeSantis Flag Outside Court: 'Traitor'

Both supporters of and protesters against Donald Trump were caught on camera stomping on a flag depicting the face of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis while demonstrating outside of the Washington D.C. courthouse where the former president was arraigned on Thursday.

Whether there protesting Trump's criminal indictment or counter-protesting in favor of the criminal proceedings, demonstrators took turns trampling the Republican presidential hopeful's likeness while accusing him of being a "traitor" and "disloyal."

Trump has repeatedly criticized his main rival in the race for the Republican nomination for the 2024 election, as well as claiming he himself was responsible for the governor's political rise. He endorsed DeSantis for Florida governor in 2017, but has since turned on the GOP contender for running against him in the presidential primaries.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to four criminal counts relating to his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to fraudulently overturn the 2020 election results, which he has repeatedly claimed were rigged against him despite no evidence being found to support his assertions.

Trump appeared before a magistrate judge in a federal courthouse in Washington D.C. two days after his latest criminal indictment was announced.

He was charged with conspiracy to defraud the U.S.; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights.

Trump is already facing a criminal case in New York relating to allegations of hush-money payments in the lead-up to the 2016 election, and another in Florida over charges of mishandling classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago residence last summer.

In both cases, Trump has denied all wrongdoing. He has pleaded not guilty at arraignment hearings in New York and Miami.

"We predicted him going down fast; he went down twice as fast as we thought he was going to," one of the demonstrators outside the courthouse, wearing a red MAGA cap, said while standing on DeSantis's facsimile and pointing at it. "He's a traitor, and that's it—he's out of here. DeSantis is gone."

Asked why he thought so, the protester responded that the Florida governor was "not loyal" but had been "forced" to enter the primary race by "the establishment."

Trump's inner circle have often portrayed him as being pitted against the establishment, and been critical of the Republican leadership.

While standing on the flag with a counter-protester wearing an "arrest Trump" T-shirt and holding a sign which read "the evidence to convict Trump is damning," another of the former president's supporters said: "Trump made DeSanctimonious [an epithet used by Trump to describe the governor]. DeSanctimonious is in over his head."

"Step on Ron," an anti-Trump demonstrator then says, adding: "Traitor." He then tells nearby Trump supporters that they have "some common ground" over their views towards DeSantis.

Newsweek approached the DeSantis campaign via email for comment on Friday.

The difference of opinion over Trump's indictment speaks to a wider debate over the criminal proceedings. While some agree with the president's claims that they are part of a political "witch hunt," others see them as the necessary result of his conduct in office.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya set August 28 as the next court date in the latest case, when a tentative trial date will be set. His other trials are set to take place in March and May next year, despite attempts by his campaign to delay them until after the election.

The various legal troubles the likely GOP nominee is currently facing appear to be straining his campaign finances, with recent FEC filings showing a large proportion of his funds being directed toward lawyers.