Brutal Nicknames Ron DeSantis' Wife Casey Has Been Saddled With

Say what you will about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' wife, Casey DeSantis, but it's difficult to deny that she handles unflattering name-calling surprisingly well. While supporting her husband at a presidential campaign event in June 2023, she donned a jarring leather jacket that had "Where woke goes to die" written across the back, alongside the outline of an alligator and the state of Florida. Casey's outfit bore a striking resemblance to one of the most inappropriate outfits Melania Trump has ever worn: Her infamous "I really don't care. Do U?" jacket from 2018. The June 2023 ensemble prompted pundits to take a closer look at Casey DeSantis and Melania Trump's styles, to spot the undeniable similarities. Those, coupled with Casey's public image at large, even prompted the Daily Beast to label Casey "Walmart Melania." 

During Casey's speech at the Florida Republican Party's so-called "Freedom Summit," in Kissimmee in November 2023, she had a surprisingly upbeat attitude to the scathing nickname, enthusing, "Awesome! That's the greatest thing you could call me. For me to be in the same sentence as Melania is a wonderful thing. She's gorgeous. That's great!" (via The Independent). The governor's wife similarly labelled it a "major victory" while chatting with conservative commentator Dana Loesch in October 2023, per the Daily Mail. 

Moreover, she had no qualms about "Walmart" being a part of her moniker either because Casey frequently bought affordable clothes for her fast-growing, young children from the big box retailer. However, the first lady of Florida's nonchalant attitude to name-calling ultimately wasn't enough to get critics to lay off her. And so, Casey was soon bestowed with another shady nickname.

During a July 2023 interview with MSNBC, Former Florida Congressman David Jolly offered his thoughts on Casey DeSantis' polarizing public image. "For many, she's the brighter side to Florida's angry governor. For others, she's become America's Karen," the politician quipped. While addressing his comments on Fox Business' "Varney & Co," Ron DeSantis himself argued that the brutal nickname was a "badge of honor." Moreover, he insisted that neither of them lost any sleep over name-calling because they both believed it was a glaring sign that their political opponents saw Casey as a "threat." 

Meanwhile, when his wife appeared on "Fox & Friends," she proclaimed that those kinds of attacks signaled that the couple's opponents "don't want to litigate the merits of their case. They don't want to have that conversation. They want to call you names. They want to try to get you to back down," (via Business Insider). The first lady of Florida was quick to assert that the unflattering monikers wouldn't be enough to bring her down either. There's no doubt that the Republican politician and his loyal wife are united in their attitude towards name-calling. Since Donald Trump has repeatedly made up some wild nicknames for his opponents, it's unsurprising that he also found some for Ron. 

At several points throughout his third presidential run, Trump snidely referred to his GOP opponent as "Ron Desanctimonious." When Piers Morgan asked Ron for his thoughts on the rude moniker in March 2023, he laughed it off while simultaneously admitting to being unsure what it even really meant. Still, the governor wasn't all that opposed to it. However, his preferred nickname is "Winner" (via YouTube).