The team behind Peaky Blinders isn’t too happy with the Ron DeSantis’ camp after footage from the hit show was used in a confusing campaign ad.

The video in question was released to mark the end of Pride Month.

Mr DeSantis, the Florida governor and a 2024 presidential hopeful, is best known for his “anti-woke” stance and his relentless crusade against the LGBTQI+ community.

The video features footage of his Republican opponent and former US president Donald Trump making supportive remarks regarding the LGBTQI+ community.

There’s then a jump to a montage of pictures of Mr DeSantis and film and TV characters, along with headlines about the extreme anti-trans and drag queen laws passed in Florida.

Tweet from @DeSantisWarRoom

Among the clips were scenes from the hit British show Peaky Blinders, specifically of Cillian Murphy’s character, Thomas Shelby.

On Thursday (AEST), the show’s official Twitter account responded, condemning the video and its message.

The message was written on behalf of the “partners of Peaky Blinders“, including Murphy, Steven Knight, Caryn Mandabach Productions, Tiger Aspect Productions and Banijay Rights.

It confirmed the footage of Murphy’s character was obtained “without permission or official licence”.

“We do not support nor endorse the video’s narrative and strongly disapprove of the use of the content in this manner,” the statement said.

Tweet from @ThePeakyBlinder

“By order of the Peaky Blinders,” many joked in support of the show’s statement.

The DeSantis video also featured Brad Pitt in Troy, Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street and, for some reason, Christian Bale in American Psycho. 

Plus, there are images of shirtless bodybuilders too.

DeSantis ad slammed online

Even before the Peaky Blinders team jumped in to condemn the video, it was already being slammed online.

“Truly one of the weirdest videos I’ve ever seen a politician put out,” New York Times reporter Jonathan Swan remarked on Twitter.

“Also, splicing images of DeSantis alongside images of shirtless and masked men … does not quite send the anti-LGBTQ message apparently intended.”

Tweet from @debostic

Others just thought the footage turned out to be more of a campaign ad for Mr Trump than Mr DeSantis, while some said it was all a mistake.

The US Secretary of Transport, Pete Buttigieg, who also happens to be the first openly gay cabinet member, was asked to weigh in. He said he had to choose his words carefully – although that didn’t mean he held back.

“I’m going to leave aside the strangeness of trying to prove your manhood by putting up a video that splices images of you in between oiled-up, shirtless bodybuilders, and just get to the bigger issue that is on my mind whenever I see this stuff in the policy space, which is, again, who are you trying to help?” he said, according to Rolling Stone.

Log Cabin Republicans, a group affiliated with the GOP that advocates for the LBGT+ community also condemned the ad.

Its president, Charles Moran, said the ad “didn’t really have a purpose” and that the anti-LGBT sentiment was at odds with the majority of the Republican Party.

“When you start looking at some of the imagery that they were using, something that you mentioned, like President Trump trying to bring some unity for the country together after the Pulse nightclub shooting, again advocating for equal rights and equal treatment for LGBT individuals – this is something that the GOP has already basically agreed upon,” he told NPR.

DeSantis faces uphill battle

Mr DeSantis formally entered the race for the Republican presidential nomination earlier this year, after much speculation.

He was once seen as the only candidate who would be able to take on and defeat Mr Trump in the bid for the White House. However, he is trailing in the polls.

Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis went from friends to rivals.

Even the spokesperson for Mr DeSantis’ super PAC, Steve Cortes, acknowledged he was lagging Mr Trump in the polls.

“Right now in national polling, we are way behind. I’ll be the first to admit that,” Mr Cortes said in a Twitter spaces event, according to Politico.

“I believe in being blunt and honest. It’s an uphill battle, but clearly Donald Trump is the runaway frontrunner.”

Mr DeSantis and Mr Trump were once friends. Their relationship soured when Florida’s governor was touted as the 2024 frontrunner.