DeSantis accuses Libs of TikTok of trying to 'engagement farm'
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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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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (Sergio Flores/AFP via Getty Images))
.@libsoftiktok got community noted for lying about FL law, which not only prohibits illegal aliens from getting drivers licenses but also prohibits recognition of licenses issued to illegal aliens from other states.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 13, 2024
Truth shouldn’t be a casualty of attempts to generate clicks… https://t.co/tdJs3x42iH
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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Two SUVs were seen pulling up to the U.S. southern border near Jacumba, California, and unloading dozens of migrants, who entered the country illegally. (Bud Knap/FOX Nation)
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.
Quality has declined ever since @elonmusk started rewarding engagement and clicks more than factually accurate content.
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) March 13, 2024
I’m not suggesting X needs a “ministry of truth” like the old Twitter bans, but something needs to change, and it should start with conservatives governing… https://t.co/YKTH5hPUgu
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.
Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.
