Ron DeSantis accuses media of 'gaslighting' to hype Harris, pans 'Welcome to Kamalot' magazine cover

WASHINGTON, DC: Several memes on social media on Monday, July 29, made fun of the 'Welcome to Kamalot' cover of New York Magazine, which featured Vice President Kamala Harris.

"Welcome to Kamalot! Our new issue grapples with the two weeks that reshaped the 2024 election—and the thrill of taking a risk on Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee," the X post read, which also linked to the report, per Fox News.

"On the heels of President Joe Biden’s historic departure from his reelection campaign, our new issue captures the giddy, infectious, and potentially risky presidential campaign of Kamala Harris," the post continued.

Gov Ron DeSantis accuses media of trying to 'manufacture' Kamala Harris into a candidate she's not

Sharing the photo, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis charged that the media was attempting to "manufacture" Kamala Harris into a candidate that she is not. 

"Is it possible to completely manufacture a cultural phenomenon by taking a vapid, leftist San Francisco Democrat and turning her into something that she’s not through nonstop gaslighting?" he asked. Corporate media is certainly trying to make 'fetch' happen."

Social media users criticize 'Kamalot' magazine cover

New York Magazine's picture and the statement on "Kamalot" were widely mocked on social media. "The play on words is about a fictional monarch who no one under their rule also voted for," The Spectator's Stephen Miller said.

"It’s a funny play on words, but a magazine referring to an earlier media-driven myth creation about a previous Democratic president is a bit on the nose," The Washington Free Beacon's Joe Gabriel Simonson wrote.

"Garish and dystopian," Townhall.com writer Sarah Lee said. Several others called it "weird" and "cringe."

Kamala Harris' supporters were inspired by 'Kamalot' picture

However, some of Kamala Harris' backers found inspiration in the image. "Kamalot"—we l love it!"

The Democratic Coalition wrote. "Kamala Harris has energized the Democratic Party in the space of one week like nobody has ever seen."

"Since we sent our last issue to the printer, Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt, JD Vance joined his ticket, the Republicans crowed all week in Milwaukee about their impending victory, Joe Biden got COVID, his closest Democratic peers forced him out of the race, and Kamala Harris — with astonishing speed — wrapped up the race to succeed him," editor-in-chief David Haskell said of the new issue. 

"We made an issue that grapples with all of it, plus peeks at what could be the biggest financial-political scandal of Trump’s second term, plus sends the Look Book to the nude beach at Sandy Hook, plus a lot more (including an exceedingly long, relatively low-stakes, literary-world beach read for the ages)," he added.

Kamala Harris receives strong media support after Joe Biden stepped down from presidential race

President Joe Biden backed Kamala Harris for the presidency after declaring last Sunday that he was withdrawing from the race due to a subpar debate performance and worries about his health and endurance.

Following the announcement, several media outlets have seemed to support the vice president and shield her from previous scandals, such as the assertion that she was originally designated as Biden's "border czar." 

Why was Kamala Harris dubbed 'border czar'?

Kamala Harris was called the "border czar" by the general public after Joe Biden assigned her in March 2021 to address the underlying reasons for the huge migration from Central and South America.

Although the Biden administration has rejected the designation, her detractors and many news outlets had been using it extensively up until this point, when it appeared like she would take Biden's place at the top of the Democratic ticket.

Trump's running mate, Sen JD Vance (R-Ohio), is among the Republicans who have suggested that Harris' selection as the next nominee is undemocratic because it bypasses the voters.

"That is a threat to democracy, not the Republican Party, which is fighting for democracy every single day," Vance said at an Ohio campaign rally.