A Republican Party office in central Florida was vandalized overnight Monday, according to a photo shared by the national party chairwoman.
Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel blamed President Joe Biden‘s remark comparing pro-Trump conservatives‘ beliefs to ‘semi-fascism’ before a speech at a Democratic National Committee event in Maryland last week.
‘The Seminole County GOP office was vandalized overnight. The criminals echoed Biden’s “fascists” slander,’ McDaniel wrote on Twitter, where she shared the image.
‘There is no place for violence in our political discourse, and the GOP will not be intimidated.’
The photo shows the mostly-glass exterior of the Seminole County Republican headquarters covered with graffiti.
Vandals spray painted ‘eat s*** fascists’ on the building’s front along with a symbol used to represent both anarchy and the left-wing ‘anti-fascist’ movement known as Antifa.
The White House condemned the act when asked about it on Tuesday.
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Biden has ‘always been clear that violence, vandalism, threats have no place in our society and that he always condemns such acts – as he does here in that particular case.’
The Florida GOP also shared the image on its social media while extending blame to Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Charlie Crist.
Crist, who serves in the House of Representatives and was previously a Republican governor of Florida, is challenging current Gov. Ron DeSantis for the seat in November.
The Republican National Committee shared this image of the GOP office in Seminole County, Florida having been apparently defaced overnight Monday
RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel blamed President Joe Biden comparing Trump supporters’ beliefs to ‘semi-fascism’
‘1. Crist says DeSantis supporters “have hate in their heart” 2. Biden calls Republicans semi-fascist,’ Florida Republicans stated.
‘The results? Dangerous Democrat rhetoric is polarizing our country and inciting criminal behavior.’
Seminole County is currently located in retiring Democrat Rep. Stephanie Murphy’s territory of the 7th Congressional District.
DailyMail.com has reached out to her office for comment.
It comes amid a larger wave of Republican backlash against the president as he mounts a fiery return to the campaign trail.
Biden reportedly made the remarks about Trump supporters during a private meeting with donors ahead of a speech in Bethesda on behalf of the DNC.
‘What we’re seeing now is either the beginning or the death knell of an extreme MAGA philosophy,’ the president said according to multiple reports.
Biden is mounting a fiery return to the campaign trail to energize Democratic voters less than three months ahead of the November midterm elections
‘It’s not just Trump. It’s the entire philosophy that underpins the – I’m going to say something: It’s like semi-fascism.’
And the president’s criticism of pro-Trump Republicans wasn’t limited to behind closed doors on Thursday.
‘Americans are going have to choose. You must choose. Will we be a country that moves forward or backward? Will we build a future or obsess over the past?’ the president asked his audience at the Bethesda, Maryland DNC event.
‘Trump and the extreme MAGA Republicans have made their choice: to go backwards, full of anger, violence, hate, and division.’
He touted Democratic accomplishments over the last year and a half, particularly after taking office during one of the darkest periods of the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘Folks, it just didn’t happen; it took a lot of hard work. It took a plan that we stuck to, even in the face of unrelenting attacks from the most powerful special interests in the country,’ Biden said.
‘And the whole notion of the “burn it all down” politics of MAGA Republicans continues to be a drumbeat.’