Within hours of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspending his Republican presidential campaign, social media users quickly came up with memes that spelled the end of his 2024 run for the 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 candidate’s awkwardness, eccentricity and love of wearing boots. Trump’s beloved nickname for him – ‘Meatball Ron’ also got a mention.
Others focused on his fallout with Disney. The Republican governor and the Republican Party-dominated Florida legislature took control of the district where Disney World is located.
The move was in retaliation after Disney publicly opposed a state law championed by DeSantis that banned classroom lessons about sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades.
Several memes also focused on his fallout with Disney, after the company resisted 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 attempt to loosen up a bit
“Meatball Ron” was another nickname Trump popularized during the campaign
One social media user created a headstone marking the length of DeSantis’ campaign
Others joked about never being able to take DeSantis’ campaign seriously and pointed Mickey Mouse ears at him
DeSantis has had an uphill battle from the start when it comes to connecting with voters and is often accused of being uptight and humorless.
Trump’s nicknames for him as ‘Ron Desanctimonious’ and ‘Meatball Ron’ didn’t help either.
Both sought to portray Florida’s governor as aloof and aloof.
The term “meatball” was an apparent criticism of DeSantis’ appearance – his chubbier figure, while hinting at an air of social grace.
The use of the word “meatball” is also a slur against Italian-Americans, as all eight of DeSantis’ great-grandparents are from Italy.
But during his campaign there have been flashes that showed a different side to him.
A video from last May has surfaced of him roaring with laughter as the 2024 hopeful made an apparent attempt to loosen up.
The video showed the governor talking to a man at a classic car show in Iowa. When DeSantis asks, “I saw you have a 1955 Porsche there. That one is nice. How much is that worth?’
“Um, we’re not even going to talk about that,” the man responds. DeSantis was clearly tickled by the comment and threw his head back to laugh heartily with his mouth open.
In an image that portrays Trump as The Godfather, DeSantis is seen pledging his loyalty to him
Some users were quick to make fun of DeSanti’s love for wearing cowboy boots. In this meme, he is seen wearing knee-high Gogo boots for women
Florida’s governor has been accused of adding lifts to brown and black boots to turn them into heels, giving him greater height – because Americans like taller candidates
A scene from Pretty Woman saw DeSantis take the lead role and take a bath
An image of DeSantis laughing with his mouth wide open at the same time was also shot by Wall Street Journal reporter John McCormickwho uploaded it to his Twitter account.
While many were quick to joke, others pointed out that “breaking free” was a purposeful effort.
Opponents have argued in the past that DeSantis has a problem with the “grin and grin” politics, in which lawmakers go out to personally charm voters.
Early in the campaign, it was reported that DeSantis and his team were having “internal conversations” about his need for more small talk, handshaking and eye contact.
One meme depicted DeSantis as a plastic toy called “Useless Man” as a laughing Joe Biden looked on
Mocking DeSantis’ hatred of Disney turned the tables as the cartoon character reacted to him being cut in this meme
Another Disney/DeSantis meme after the Florida governor ended his campaign
Many used the collapse of DeSantis’ campaign as a way for Disney to fight back through memes
One meme turned a DeSantis slogan against him after his early suspension from the campaign
This meme ridiculed the Florida governor’s pro-life stance. DeSantis has said he would support a federal ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy
TikTok user Spamellina sketched the shape of a high heel over the photo of DeSantis in his boots, then shared a photo of a pair of women’s wedge boots for comparison
DeSantis has withdrawn ahead of the New Hampshire primary, which would have liked to see a terrible performance, according to the latest NBC News poll
The Florida governor was accused of putting lifts in brown and black boots to turn them into heels, giving him a height gain – as Americans said. traditionally as larger candidates.
DeSantis claimed not to know that people online were theorizing that he was wearing heels, saying his boots were “just standard, off-the-rack Lucchese” and that he was 6 feet tall.
But expert cobblers came forward and said he used lifts to make himself look bigger.
It was once again an easy target when it came to creating memes to tease the former candidate.
Last week, even Trump took time to attack DeSantis’ boots when he predicted the impending end of his run.
“His polls have fallen so low that he will drop out of the race very soon. He will come out very soon. You know, I saw him last night, he’s standing with his shoes on – his nice shoes,” Trump said on January 11.
The reference to claims that DeSantis wears hidden lifts in his boots drew laughter from the audience.