A political consulting firm working for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' super PAC has revealed internal campaign documents online, including a debate strategy to "defend Donald Trump" and "take a sledgehammer" to entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. The New York Times reported on Thursday that the documents listed "four basic must-dos" for DeSantis, referred to as "GRD." These included attacking Joe Biden and the media multiple times, stating DeSantis' positive vision, defending Donald Trump in response to Chris Christie's attack, and hammering Vivek Ramaswamy in a response.

The documents were made public by Axiom Strategies, but the debate strategy document was later taken down. The memo, dated August 15, referenced the "Orchestra Pit Theory" proposed by late Fox News executive Roger Ailes, suggesting that a candidate who demonstrated a strong grasp of foreign policy in a debate would receive less media attention than one who made a mistake or fell off the stage. The memo encouraged DeSantis to create "potential Orchestra Pit Moments."

One of the main targets in the strategy was Vivek Ramaswamy, whom the memo advised DeSantis to attack using nicknames such as “Fake Vivek” and "Vivek the Fake" to portray him as insufficiently conservative. Another document available online compared Ramaswamy's positions to DeSantis', positioning him to the left of the Florida governor on various issues.

Ramaswamy responded to the strategy documents on social media, calling it "another boring, establishment attack." He criticized DeSantis for using pre-programmed attack lines and referred to him as "Super PAC-creation 'Robot Ron.'" In response, the executive director of Chris Christie's super PAC, Brian Jones, mocked DeSantis with a press release outlining a debate strategy for Christie, titled "Be yourself, and Tell It Like It Is."

The documents also highlighted DeSantis as a candidate carrying the torch for Donald Trump but criticized Trump for adding distractions since leaving office. They emphasized the need for someone who can fight for the people instead of themselves, echoing the message of TV ads paid for by the Never Back Down super PAC.

In addition to Ramaswamy and Christie, the strategy notes targeted other potential Republican candidates, including Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Francis Suarez, Doug Burgum, and Mike Pence. These lines of attack focused on criticisms of a Florida black history curriculum and DeSantis' ongoing battles with Disney.

The documents also included polls from DeSantis-linked firm WPA Intelligence, showing Ramaswamy up 10 percentage points in New Hampshire but DeSantis lagging more than 20 points behind Trump in Iowa.

It is important to note that super PACs are legally prevented from discussing strategy with associated campaigns, and posting such documents online carries risks of embarrassment and media scrutiny. The release of these documents comes less than a week before the first Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee.