The Conversation (0)
Ariana Baio
Feb 16, 2023
Branding expert explains why Ron DeSantis is 'way scarier' than Donald Trump
Video
Rumors are swirling that Ron DeSantis is gearing up to announce his intention to run for president and many are noticing the Florida governor has begun adopting a bunch of very Trump-like mannerisms.
And this week, DeSantis, 43, took it one step further by copying the way Trump says "China."
At a press conference, DeSantis used Trump's famous inflection of the word China, as though he is saying "Chy-na," only adding to the never-ending list of ways the Florida governor seems to be mimicking Trump.
DeSantis was elected governor of Florida in part thanks to Donald Trump's endorsement.
But as Trump has found himself at the center of the January 6th hearings and a financial investigation, DeSantis began putting some distance between them.
Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter
With Trump running in 2024, it's unclear how Republicans will vote given the former president's track record. This is why DeSantis is shaping up to be a more viable candidate for the GOP.
To win a presidential bid, DeSantis needs to appeal to Trump supporters. And it seems he's doing that by imitating aspects of the former president.
Here are seven other ways DeSantis seems to be channeling Trump.
1. Mean nicknames
Trump famously doled out nicknames to people while in office - both in a positive and negative way. In fact, there's a whole Wikipedia page to keep track of all the nicknames Trump used.
He called Texas Senator Ted Cruz 'Beautiful Ted', President Joe Biden 'China Joe' and 'Sleepy Joe', Mike Bloomberg 'Mini Mike Bloomberg', and many more.
On Wednesday, DeSantis took a page from Trump's book while expressing his disdain for Dr. Anthony Fauci calling him a "little elf."
"I know he says he's going to retire, someone needs to grab that little elf and chuck him across the Potomac," DeSantis said.
\u201cRon Desantis, from fake fighter pilot to fascist. On Fauci: \u201cI\u2019m sick of seeing him! I know he says he\u2019s gonna retire. Someone needs to grab that little elf and chuck him across the Potomac!\u201d\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1661373735
2. Weird awkward stance
Sure, DeSantis can talk the talk but can he walk the walk? The answer is yes.
A photo of DeSantis at Turning Point’s Student Action Summit shows the Florida Governor standing with his arms hovering beside him and his body tilted forward- much like Trump.
\u201cGee I wonder why DeSantis stands like that:\u201d— Kane J. Webb (@Kane J. Webb) 1661197971
3. Ill-fitted suits
Perhaps it's not the stance that makes DeSantis stand in a strange position but rather the suits he's wearing.
Like Trump, DeSantis seems to choose boxy suits that are somehow both too big and too small.
\u201cRon DeSantis is consistently just looking like he is just doing a discount Trump performance. From the oversized suit to the posture to movements to the neofascism. And if that\u2019s the bar of what is expected in this day and age for leadership, we are f*cked.\u201d— Matt Royer (@Matt Royer) 1661084210
It's unclear if DeSantis will adopt Trump's massive ties as well but nobody would be shocked.
4. Palling around with election deniers
Where the two differ is their publicly spoken opinions of the 2020 election. Whereas Trump perpetrated the lie that the election was stolen, DeSantis has not.
However, that doesn't mean DeSantis is not endorsing those who agreed with election denies, in fact, it's just the opposite.
DeSantis has headlined campaigns for Kari Lake, Blake Masters, JD Vance, and Doug Mastriano - all people who have claimed Trump won the 2020 election and have been endorsed by Trump.
5. Random caps-lock
Famously, Trump randomly capitalizes non-proper-noun words in statements, truths, and formal tweets.
Apparently, he does this to emphasize some words according to Vox and now DeSantis is following suit.
Earlier in August, DeSantis tweeted scolding the FBI for raiding Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago and capitalized several words like "regime" and "republic".
\u201cThe raid of MAL is another escalation in the weaponization of federal agencies against the Regime\u2019s political opponents, while people like Hunter Biden get treated with kid gloves. Now the Regime is getting another 87k IRS agents to wield against its adversaries? Banana Republic.\u201d— Ron DeSantis (@Ron DeSantis) 1660005837
6. Trumpy hand gestures
In October 2021 people began noticing DeSantis moved his hands in a very Trump-like fashion. Since then, the body language of the two has become more closely tied than ever.
The open hand moving horizontally when speaking, the pointer finger upright when emphasizing something, the waving of fingers - all markers of Trump's distinct speaking style.
\u201cIs Ron DeSantis copying Trump?\u201d— The Recount (@The Recount) 1634829625
7. Divisive shock-and-awe statements
What set Trump apart from other potential Republican candidates in 2016 was how polarizing he was and ultimately it got him elected.
DeSantis seems to be tapping into that strategy as he makes polarizing statements that right-wing voters can get behind.
He supports total gun control, opposes abortion, and opposes LGBTQ+ rights legislation. Famously he sent the US into a spiral after signing the 'Don't Say Gay' bill into Florida law earlier this year.
DeSantis' differences initially painted him as a moderate-right but as he begins implementing more Trumpisms into his political persona, he inches closer to the right.
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.