DeSantis ‘disappeared’? Florida governor sheds pounds as he explores White House administration, taking book tour to early primary states
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has slimmed down, looking thinner this week in Iowa than even since taking office in January
- On Thursday, Puck news speculated that he may be taking Ozempic, while a Florida insider said he’s simply cutting back on carbs and desserts
- There is a political tradition for presidential candidates to lose weight before announcing their candidacy
Just call him “Disappeared” Desantis.
The Florida governor was spotted in Iowa last week looking thinner than he has in years, even after taking office in January.
DeSantis is taking all the steps one would take to make a bid for the White House later this year.
He just released a book, The Courage to Be Free, which takes him back to the beginning stages.
And potential presidential candidates also tend to wane.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been slimming down lately. At left is DeSantis in December 2019 versus an appearance last week in Iowa
DeSantis watchers even say they can see a difference in DeSantis’ weight since his inauguration in January (pictured) and appearances on his current book tour
The Florida governor was photographed in June 2019 (left) and then in Davenport, Iowa last week
As an example, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has sparked speculation that he will enter the 2024 GOP primary after becoming noticeably weaker since leaving office.
DeSantis’ diet worked so quickly that Puck News speculated Thursday that he may be taking Ozempic, the diabetes drug-turned-diet that celebrities are turning to for quick weight loss.
“He’s a shell of his former self,” a Tallahassee insider told Puck.
Peter Schorsch, the publisher of Florida Politics, writes Thursday on Twitter that DeSantis isn’t taking Ozempik “even if the rest of Talley and Miami take him.”
“Word on the street is that Ronnie D has cut out carbs – no bread, no desserts!” Schorsch wrote.
This means that Donald Trump may lose one of his lines of attack during the campaign.
The former president called DeSantis “fat” and a “whiner” and took credit for getting him elected governor, New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman wrote in her book, “A Man of Confidence.”
It may be a good political move for DeSantis to prevent further ridicule after the Daily Beast reported Thursday that on a flight from Tallahassee to Washington in March 2019, the governor ate chocolate pudding with three of his fingers .
DeSantis made his Iowa debut last Friday, and longtime observers noticed he looked thinner than ever
“He would sit in meetings and eat in front of people,” a former DeSantis employee also told the Beast. Adding, “always like a starving animal that’s never eaten before … getting s**t everywhere.”
Puck also reported that employees would lure DeSantis to dates with cupcakes.
And he’s a big fan of fried chicken from Zaxby’s, a popular Southern fast-food chain, Puck said.
DeSantis may also have been inspired to lose weight after hearing that former President Donald Trump — who has recently made DeSantis his favorite political piñata — balked at the idea of calling him “Meatball Ron.”
Trump has a tradition of giving nicknames to all of his political rivals.
En route to Davenport, Iowa on Monday, Trump explained to reporters why he decided to stick with Ron “DeSanctimonious” instead.
“I don’t use that name.” Used by other people. I don’t like that name, I think it’s too harsh,” Trump said, according to the Daily Caller. “I’m not a very rude person.”