knockoff version

Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis’ wife tried copying Melania Trump & things didn’t go as planned

By · 12 comments
Ron DeSantis standing with Casey DeSantis.

As it turns out, there may actually be a lot of truth behind Casey DeSantis’ “Walmart Melania” moniker.

A new Washington Post feature story highlighting the, um, unique, relationship between Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis and his seemingly all-knowing wife includes a tidbit about how Casey wished to present herself when Ron was first elected governor of Florida.

She wanted the full Melania.

“As she was preparing for her new role, she asked an aide what Melania Trump would do or wear, what stores and designers she liked, looking to the president’s wife as a model,” writes Ruby Cramer.

That checks out. It’s been apparent for a while that Casey DeSantis is trying to emulate the disgraced ex-president’s wife, right down to her caustic indifference towards the suffering inflicted on others by her husband.

While Casey DeSantis may want to present as Melania Trump–or at least a version of her–it’s apparent she’s far more involved in her husband’s political operation than the former First Lady. The WaPo article features several amusing anecdotes about her control over Ron’s appearance, right down to his mockable cowboy boots and earpieces he wears for interviews (Casey used to work as a TV anchor in Jacksonville).

“She knew the cowboy boots he should wear, even though, at first, he complained that they hurt his feet, until a staffer suggested he buy dress shoes instead, at which point he said, ‘Casey got them for me,’ and that was the end of the conversation about the cowboy boots,” writes Cramer.

But Casey apparently isn’t only trying to shape Ron’s look: she’s also attempting to lighten up his stiff and alienating demeanor. During Ron’s 2018 campaign for governor, he was instructed to write “LIKABLE” in all-caps at the top of his notepad.

Five years later, he’s still working on the whole likability thing. It isn’t going well.

Earlier this month, DeSantis made headlines for stiffing a World War II veteran at a meet-and-greet. He also threw a hissy fit when a reporter asked him why he didn’t take questions following a town hall event in New Hampshire.

But hey: at least he hasn’t been caught eating pudding with his fingers on the presidential campaign trail.

He’s been caught doing plenty of embarrassing other things, though!

But back to Casey. Her influence is believed to be so omnipresent, she’s even advised her husband to ditch the old pronunciation of his surname.

For years, it was “DEE-santis.” Now, it’s “Deh-Santis,” though Ron refuses to supply an on-the-record answer about the switch. “It’s just always been Deh-Santis,” Casey said in a 2018 interview.

Except all of the times it wasn’t. “Early in his political career, DeSantis, 44, appeared to use ‘Dee-Santis’ more often—then began a slow and still-incomplete evolution to ‘Deh-Santis,'” writes Axios. (Casey seems to be quite liberal with names: she went by “Jill” when she started in TV news, the Post reports.)

Ron, for his part, doesn’t shield Casey from the public. In fact, he wants her front and center. The anti-social governor often calls her out at campaign events, and recently complained she doesn’t appear on enough magazine covers.

“If she were a Democrat, she’d be on every fashion magazine,” said DeSantis.

Ironically, Casey would also be featured on fashion magazines if she was actually Melania Trump, who was a model in her former life. Some things, you just can’t emulate.

Scroll down for more response to the WaPo’s profile on Casey DeSantis, and who’s really pulling the stings on the “Deh-Santis” campaign…

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Once Monthly Annually

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated