Kari Lake, Election Denier And Arizona GOP Candidate, Says Trump, DeSantis Have 'BDE'
Kari Lake, the Republican nominee for governor in Arizona, shared her thoughts about former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' nether regions during a rally Sunday. (Photo: via Associated Press)
Kari Lake ― the Republican nominee for governor in Arizona who has embraced the far right’s lies about the 2020 presidential election ― went below the belt during a rally in Phoenix on Sunday, musing on stage that former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) both have the quality known as “BDE.”
Lake, who threw her name into the gubernatorial ring after two decades as a local news anchor, was singing the praises of both men, who have each endorsed her campaign, when she made the off-color remark.
“I’ll tell you what he’s got ― I don’t know if you’ve heard of this, but he’s got BDE,” she said of DeSantis. “Anybody know what that means? Ask your kids about it later.”
Uh-oh! Twitter is on fire because I said President Trump & Gov @RonDeSantisFL both have “BDE”
I stand by what I said. 🤷♀️ pic.twitter.com/eaJ1PhYAhA— Kari Lake for AZ Governor (@KariLake) August 15, 2022
“I call it ‘Big DeSantis Energy,’” Lake added, although the term has traditionally been understood to mean “big dick energy.”
Lake went on to compare DeSantis to Trump, saying: “He’s got the same kind of BDE that President Trump has. And frankly, he has the same kind of BDE that we want all of our elected leaders to have.”
Lake clinched the Republican nomination earlier this month, and is expected to face the Democratic nominee, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, in November’s election.
The former Phoenix reporter has received endorsements from former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, fellow 2020 election denier Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and MyPillow CEO and conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell. She has put falsehoods about the 2020 election at the center of her gubernatorial campaign, repeating unproven claims of election fraud and criticism of electronic ballots.
Still not sick of WINNING! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/VsaLXQXXJu
— Kari Lake for AZ Governor (@KariLake) August 10, 2022
Lake described the FBI’s recent search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home and resort as “one of the darkest days in American history,” and said the authorities’ investigation into classified government material at his property constitutes “an incredibly horrendous abuse of power.”
Those seeking further context to Lake’s “BDE” remarks can read about former adult star Stormy Daniels’ take on the matter, after she famously claimed to have had an affair with the married former president in 2006. Daniels also offered a visual comparison.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
