Al Sharpton is at it again — and this time, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is squarely in his crosshairs.
The longtime liberal cable host lit into DeSantis over the weekend, accusing the Republican governor of deploying an “offensive accent” while mimicking House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. On his Sunday show, Sharpton didn’t just call it tasteless — he framed it as Exhibit A in what he claims is a broader pattern of “racist rhetoric” from the GOP. Because of course he did.
Sharpton, never one to miss a chance to connect dots that may or may not be there, brought on Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried to pile on. He suggested that DeSantis’ jab at Jeffries came at the same time Republicans are supposedly “dismantling civil rights protections that have been an important part of our democracy for decades now.”
That’s a heavy charge — especially considering he was pointing to a recent Supreme Court decision that found race-based gerrymandering violates the Voting Rights Act. Not exactly the civil-rights rollback it’s being spun as, but nuance isn’t exactly cable news’ strong suit.
Fried, for her part, didn’t hold back. She accused DeSantis of trying to strip Jeffries of his humanity and torch basic decency along the way.
“Remember that this has been DeSantis’ M.O. You know, just a couple years ago, he got rid of Black history in our school system. Back in 2022, he actually vetoed the maps from the legislature during the actual redistricting period of time so that he can draw his own maps to dismantle one of our Black elected congressional seats in the panhandle,” she said.
She kept going, ticking off familiar Democratic talking points: “So this is what Ron DeSantis has consistently been doing. You know, [the] ‘Stop Woke Act,’ the DEI attacks. So I’m not surprised that DeSantis continues to stoop lower and lower and lower when it comes to his rhetoric.”
Al is big mad that Gov DeSantis made fun of Hakeem Jeffries. He says it's offensive and, wait for it … racist. pic.twitter.com/AufAkxu8W1
— thedailybs w/ Snerdley (@thedailybs_Bo) May 4, 2026
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court ruling that set all this off sent shockwaves through left-leaning media circles. The 6-3 decision struck down Louisiana’s second majority-Black congressional district, with the court’s conservative majority concluding it leaned too heavily on race.
In case you missed the so-called racist impersonation, here’s a recap:
‘GO AHEAD, MAKE MY DAY’: @GovRonDeSantis mocked threats of “maximum warfare” from Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries following the passage of Florida’s new congressional map
DeSantis dared DC and NY politicians to “roll the dice” in Florida
“Don’t think that you can come… pic.twitter.com/OSgpEEYfpf
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) April 30, 2026
