Weird Things About Ron & Casey DeSantis' Marriage People Ignore

Since his time in office, Ron DeSantis' marriage to his wife, Casey DeSantis, has always been a matter of public consumption. But when the Florida governor announced he was running for president of the United States and revealed that Casey would be joining him on the campaign trail, the stakes got even higher. "She's going to be out more [on the campaign trail]," Ron told ABC News in December 2023. "I like being with her on the campaign trail, but from a campaign strategy perspective, it's better for her to be doing her own events because she draws crowds, she flips voters and sometimes she'll meet with 10-15 potential caucus-goers," he gushed about his wife's penchant for wooing prospective voters. 

While the two seem like a perfect match, there are some weird things about Ron and Casey DeSantis' marriage that people tend to ignore. "Does she sort of humanize the robot? Does she push him on the grip-and-grin, the baby-kissing, give him a cleaner, softer image? Yes," one of Ron's former staffers said about the high-profile spouses during a candid interview with Politico. "Does she also feed into his, I guess, worst instincts, of being secluded and insular and standoffish with staff? Yes." YIKES.

Golf balls, anyone? The story goes that Ron and Casey DeSantis met in 2006 while on a golf course at the University of North Florida. "I kept looking over my shoulder because I wanted the bucket of balls that somebody had left because my swing was so terrible. I needed as much practice as I could possibly get," Casey told First Coast News about the couple's meet cute. 

Ron, however, didn't get the memo and thought she was actually checking him out. "I used the balls as a way to start talking to her," he confessed during a candid sit-down interview with Piers Morgan. "So, we started talking, we divvied up the balls and we hit 'em. And then we went out after that and the rest is history, but I think, in fact, she was looking at the balls. I do think I was wrong!" he admitted. Fortunately, the golf ball ploy worked in Ron's favor. "Who would have thought that we both would have been there at the same time randomly on some random day in 2006," he wondered out loud.

Where were you when you learned that Ron and Casey DeSantis got hitched at a resort located at the most magical place on earth? Yep, that's right. The story goes that the couple said "I do,"on September 26, 2009 at Disney's wedding pavilion located at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. "Our whole wedding felt right out of a fairy tale," Ron penned in his 2023 book, "The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival." Still, he confessed that he made his bride-to-be promise that no Disney characters would be in attendance. "I wanted our special day to look and feel like a traditional wedding. I didn't want Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck in our wedding photos," he wrote (via Business Insider).

While there's absolutely no shame in the "Disney Adult" game, we would be remiss not to point out Ron's very public spat with the corporation. As you may recall, the Florida governor signed the Parental Rights in Education Act, also contemptuously referred to as the "Don't Say Gay," bill, on March 28, 2022. After some backlash for remaining mum on the issue, Disney's CEO at the time, Bob Chapek, eventually joined the chat and publicly condemned the bill. Following Chapek's comments, Ron fired off an email to adherents "If Disney wants to pick a fight, they chose the wrong guy," he wrote, as reported by the New York Times. Ron and Casey will always have their honeymoon, we suppose.

Speaking of weddings, Ron and Casey DeSantis caught some major flack for seemingly stealing the show at Republican Iowa state representative Taylor Collins' Des Moines nuptials back in August 2023. As evidenced in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Collins and his new bride made a grand entrance to their reception ... with the DeSantis couple clicking right on their heels. Upon entering the event, the bride and groom stepped aside as Ron stood around and waved at the crowd. AWKKKWARDDD.

While it appears the newlyweds were completely thrilled with Ron and Casey's cameo on their big day, others in the Twittersphere weren't as charmed. "Why does Casey always make everything about herself?" one Twitter user asked. Meanwhile, another wrote, "Huge party foul — the wedding day is supposed to be all about the bride, not the candidate." According to the New York Times, however, it was actually the bride who invited Ron and Casey as a special surprise to her new hubby. Fortunately, it appears the surprise was a pleasant one. "You never know who will crash your wedding reception during caucus season! An honor to be on #TeamDeSantis," Collins reportedly gushed on social media.

Put 'er there, pardner! It appears Ron and Casey DeSantis like to keep it strictly business ... at least in public, anyway. The Florida governor and first lady left many scratching their heads when Ron opted to reach out and shake his wife's hand while participating in the presidential primary debate in Des Moines on January 10, 2024. "Did Ron DeSantis shake his wife's hand?" one bewildered Twitter user asked. Another user responded, "You haven't figured out by now that he's a weirdo?" OOF.

While the DeSantis' campaign's spokesperson, Andrew Romeo, declined to comment on the couple's public display of affection (or in this case, lack thereof) he did intimate to the New York Times that the couple's high-profile handshake was a big ol' nothing burger amid the upcoming Iowa caucuses, which were only four days out at the time. Simply put, they had bigger fish to fry. Spoiler alert: Ron came in second behind, former president Donald J. Trump at the electoral events. Was it the handshake? We may never know.

It goes without saying that our loved ones should always be our biggest fans and supporters. Alas, it appears Ron DeSantis might take the notion "happy wife, happy life," just a little too far when it comes to Casey DeSantis. During a May 2023 appearance on "The Mark Levin Show," Ron railed against high fashion magazines for not featuring his bride in their magazines. "If she were a Democrat, she'd be on every fashion magazine," he declared. "They would be making her out to be the biggest deal. But because we're conservative, we know that's not what happens. In reality, it will be the opposite, where they try to really attack."

It should be noted, however, that the who's who of fashion did Casey nods of approval at the time. She's "dressing to be either princess of the world or first lady, award-winning costume designer Tom Broecker told the New York Times in a May 2023 piece solely dedicated to Casey's fashion aesthetic and style. "There's so much intentionality and purpose behind everything," Broecker added. Alas, the New York Times isn't Vogue. Anna Wintour: if you're reading this, give the DeSantis family a call, will you?