In his rise to national prominence since the beginning of the pandemic, Florida governor Ron DeSantis has adopted several of Donald Trump’s prominent stances, including his war on public-health measures and his demands for fealty to his administration. As DeSantis’s star in the GOP rises further, another likeness is becoming more and more obvious: He appears to be adopting Trump’s literal bizarre stance.
You know the one: flat feet, arched back, hunched forward like he’s carrying invisible bags of groceries that are about to break. A picture from Turning Point’s Student Action Summit last month that has been making the Twitter rounds shows off the posture that was formerly unique to the Trump family:
It’s not just the stance DeSantis is trying out. Earlier this year, Jonathan Chait noted that the Florida governor looks “like a man who had been mimicking Donald Trump’s speeches in front of the mirror.”
During the Trump years, there was lots of speculation over the former president’s leaning gait, with the most widely circulating theory suggesting he wears lifts in his shoes to make him appear taller. But the reason for DeSantis’s posture appears more straightforward: In an effort to bring Trump voters to his side if he chooses to run in 2024, he is making it easier for them by reminding them of their erstwhile favorite. The video news outlet the Recount has the evidence:
Imitation, however, may not be the sincerest form of flattery down in Florida: Their relationship is reportedly in dire straits after DeSantis failed to endorse Trump ahead of the next presidential cycle. And for the time being, DeSantis still has some of his own actions: For example, he throws stuff to crowds underhand rather than shooting rolls of paper towels at hurricane survivors like a basketball.
