Ron DeSantis is given the meme treatment as critics hilariously put the boot into his choice of footwear, battle with Disney and roaring laughter after he ends his presidential campaign
Social media users were quick to generate memes after Florida governor Ron DeSantis halted his Republican presidential campaign DeSantis, who endorsed his rival Donald Trump, became the subject of memes highlighting his awkwardness, eccentricity, and penchant for wearing boots Some memes also focused on his fallout with Disney, after the company opposed banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity
Within hours of Florida governor Ron DeSantis suspending his Republican presidential campaign, social media users were quick to come up with memes signifying the end of his 2024 run for White House.
DeSantis endorsed his bitter rival Donald Trump on Sunday afternoon, just days before the New Hampshire primary.
Many of the memes highlighted the former candidateâs awkwardness, eccentricity and love of wearing boots. Trumpâs beloved nickname for him â âMeatball Ronâ also got a mention.
Others focused on his fallout with Disney. The Republican governor and GOP-dominated Florida Legislature took control of the district which Disney World is based.
The move was in retaliation after Disney publicly opposed a state law championed by DeSantis, banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades.Â
Several memes also focused on his fallout with Disney, after the company opposed banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity
A video from last May saw him roaring with laughter as the then-2024 hopeful made an apparent effort to loosen up
âMeatball Ronâ was another nickname made popular by Trump during the campaign
One social media user made a tombstone signifying the length of DeSantisâ campaign
RIP Ron DeSantis aka Meatball Rons 2024 Campaign đȘŠHereâs #Trump giving the eulogy at the Ron DeSanctimonious burial services đ€Ł pic.twitter.com/NR51jBejDs
â John Walsh (@itsJohnWalsh) January 21, 2024
Others made fun of the fact they could never take DeSantisâ campaign seriously, donning Mickey Mouse ears on him
DeSantis has faced an uphill battle from the start when it comes to connecting with voters and has frequently been accused of being uptight and humorless.
Trumpâs nickname for him as âRon Desanctimoniousâ and âMeatball Ronâ also didnât help.
Both attempted to portray the Florida Governor as aloof and out of touch.
The âmeatballâ term was an apparent dig at DeSantisâs appearance â his pudgier frame, while hinting at a lock of social grace.
Using the word âmeatballâ is also a slur against Italian-Americans with all eight of DeSantisâ great-grandparents coming from Italy.
But during his campaign there have been flashes that showed a different side to him.
A video from last May saw him roaring with laughter has emerged, as the 2024 hopeful made an apparent effort to loosen up.
The video showed the governor engaged in a conversation with a man at a classic car show in Iowa. When DeSantis asks: âI saw that you have like a 1955 Porsche in there. That oneâs nice. How much is that worth?â
âUgh, we wonât even talk about that,â the man responds. DeSantis was clearly tickled by the remark and flung his head back to give a hearty-open-mouthed guffaw.
In an image that sees Trump as The Godfather, DeSantis is seen pledging his loyalty to him
Some users were quick to poke fun at DeSantis love of wearing cowboy boots. In this meme he is seen wearing womenâs knee high Gogo boots
The Florida governor has been accused of inserting lifts into pairs of brown and black boots to turn them into heels, giving him a height boost â as Americans like taller candidates
One X user depicted DeSantisâ daughters describing him as a âsniveling cowardâ
The âMeatball Ronâ nickname appeared to have resonated with those who disliked DeSantis
One artist managed to portray DeSantis as a human meatball complete with boots
Another user attempted to surmise DeSantisâ thoughts of Nikki Haley during a recent GOP debate
Another described how DeSantis had âlostâ to a mouse and rat, with pictures of Mickey Mouse and an inflatable of Trump
Some memes were not particularly funny and went for a very base level of humor
This image depicted a blood-thirsty Mickey Mouse as having defeated DeSantis in the race
A scene from Pretty Woman saw DeSantis taking on the lead role and having a bath
An image of DeSantis laughing with his mouth wide open during the same moment was also snapped by Wall Street Journal reporter John McCormick, who uploaded it to his Twitter account.
While many were quick to crack jokes, others pointed out that âloosening upâ was a targeted effort.
Adversaries have argued in the past that DeSantis has an issue with âgrip and grinâ politics which sees lawmakers get out and about to try and charm voters in person.
Early in the campaign it was reported DeSantis and his team had âinternal conversationsâ regarding his need to engage in more small talk, handshaking and eye contact.
One meme depicted DeSantis as a plastic toy, termed âUseless Manâ with a laughing Joe Biden looking on
The mocking of DeSantisâ hatred of Disney saw the tables turned as the cartoon character reacted to him dropping out in this meme
Another Disney / DeSantis meme following the Florida Governorâs ending of his campaign
Many used DeSantisâ campaign collapse as a way for Disney to fight back via memes
One user compared DeSantisâ campaign to that of the ill-fated Titan submarine that imploded
A Trump cap-wearing snake referenced Floridaâs childrenâs book ban in this tweet
DeSantisâ boots featured prominently in this image of him walking back to his home in Florida
One makeshift image saw Trump dumping DeSantis as an alligator, out with the garbage
One meme turned a DeSantis slogan against him following his early campaign suspension
The Florida Governorâs pro-life stance was mocked in this meme. DeSantis has said he would support a federal ban on abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy
TikTok user Spamellina sketched the shape of a high heel over the photo of DeSantis in his boots and then shared a picture of a pair of womenâs wedged boots for comparison
DeSantis has pulled out ahead of the New Hampshire primary which would like have seenan abysmal performance according to the latest NBC News poll
The Florida governor was been accused of inserting lifts into pairs of brown and black boots to turn them into heels, giving him a height boost â as Americans traditionally like taller candidates.
DeSantis claimed to be unaware that people online were theorizing that he was wearing heels, saying his boots were âjust standard, off the rack Luccheseâ and that he stood at 5â11â.
But expert shoemakers came forward to say he was using lifts to make himself look taller.
It once again made for an easy target when it came to making memes teasing the former candidate.
Last week, even Trump took time to attack DeSantisâ footwear as he predicted the imminent end of his run.
âHis poll numbers have gone down to a level that he is going to be out of the race very soon. Heâs going to be out very soon. You know, I watched him last night, he is standing up with his shoes â his fancy shoes,â Trump said on January 11.
The reference to claims DeSantis wears concealed lifts in his boots got a laugh from the crowd.