Vermin Supreme, a performance artist and activist known for recurring campaigns for president, was apparently unsuccessful in warming up a crowd prior to a Friday campaign event for Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in New Hampshire.
Supreme, who launched his 2024 presidential bid as a Democrat, appeared before the start of the DeSantis town hall in Nashua, apparently letting himself onto the stage and sought to engage the crowd unprompted.
“That’s why we’re all here tonight. To find out if Mr. Ron [DeSantis] was serious when he offered to wear a boot on his head. I’m Vermin Supreme, the ghost of Bootgates past,” Supreme said in video posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Vermin Supreme, a perennial presidential candidate, is providing an impromptu warm-up act as DeSantis supporters wait for the Florida governor in Nashua, New Hampshire. He gets to mention his promise of free ponies, a key campaign policy, before security intervenes pic.twitter.com/sFrJ2jELTX
— Rozina Sabur (@RozinaSabur) January 20, 2024
Supreme was observed wearing his iconic large, black boot on his head while initiating several absurd chants, including one mentioning his traditional campaign promise for “free ponies.” Supreme was also seen starting other chants for “zombie power” and “time travel.”
“When I say zombie, you say power,” Vermin Supreme instructed the Nashua audience. Supreme subsequently chanted “zombie,” which was followed by a portion of the audience chanting “power” in return. Supreme then initiated another chant, yelling “time” to the crowd, whose returning chant of “travel” gradually weakened.
Supreme disengaged as security reportedly approached, saying, “In deference to decorum, I will remove myself from the stage.”
Only in New Hampshire — @VerminSupreme commands the room ahead of @RonDeSantis scheduled town hall in Nashua, New Hampshire. pic.twitter.com/ja1Us9FSdG
— Kelsey Walsh (@Kjwalsh_news) January 19, 2024
Supreme has run for national, state and local offices several times since his first campaign in 1987, according to Ballotpedia. (RELATED: ‘That’s Gotta Hurt’: Fox News Host Rattles Off Series Of ‘Piercing’ Criticisms To Ron DeSantis’ Face)
In a separate event in Dover, New Hampshire, DeSantis predicted there will be no more debates during the GOP primary or general election, the Daily Mail reported. DeSantis told the crowd he was the only Republican candidate willing to debate, stating that “neither Trump nor Haley would do it.”
“Biden, I don’t think Biden would debate me in the fall. I don’t know about Trump-Biden, but probably not,” DeSantis said.
“What it ends up being is like the candidates are going to be picked by the media because it’s all about the media covering,” DeSantis said. “Why would you want to give more power to them? Because that’s why I think these debates are important, because it gives you an opportunity to speak directly to voters without having the filter.”