“She’s Melania but with an agenda”: Casey DeSantis’ leather jacket against ‘woke’ ideology leaves netizens concerned

Casey DeSantis, wife of Florida Governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis, recently found herself in hot waters. The first Lady of Florida was seen sporting a leather jacket with "Where Woke Goes to Die" written on its back while attending Sen. Joni Erst's annual fundraiser, Roast and Ride, at Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, June 3.

Along with the writings, the jacket also showcased a picture of an alligator and an outline of the state of Florida. The controversial jacket did not sit well with netizens as Twitter users questioned Casey DeSantis' intentions and her fashion sense. They also drew comparisons with former First Lady of America, Melania Trump's infamous, 2018, "I REALLY DON'T CARE, DO U?" jacket.

DeSantis was compared to Melania Trump (Image via Twitter)

Netizens label Casey DeSantis as Walmart Melania

Casey DeSantis' leather jacket caused quite a stir on Twitter (Image via Twitter/@TheGrumpyJew01)

Casey DeSantis came under heavy criticism for sporting the jacket. People called her and her husband, "fascist morons" and "Florida's First Fascist Family'.

Twitter users called both Casey and her husband fascists (Image via Twitter)

#WalmartMelania was trending on Twitter as Netizens made comparisons between Casey DeSantis and Melania Trump's fashion. Casey's "Where Woke Goes To Die" jacket was compared to Melania's "I DON'T REALLY CARE, DO U?" jacket from 2018. The trolls were relentless.

At one point, people even started comparing Jill Biden's dressing sense with that of Casey DeSantis'.

"We will fight the woke in education, we will fight the woke in the corporations, we will fight the woke in the halls of Congress.": Ron DeSantis

Casey attended the motorcycle-themed fundraiser along with her husband, Ron DeSantis, and their three children. Also in attendance was former Vice President, Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.

The Jacket is a not-that-subtle nod to Casey's husband Ron DeSantis' politics, where he has time and time again emphasized waging war against 'woke' culture. He has even said the exact phrase, "Florida is where woke goes to die" in a speech following his 2022 re-election victory.

On Saturday's event, Ron spoke about how they were going to fight 'woke' culture in every institution and never surrender. He said:

"The woke mind virus represents a war on truth, so we will wage a war on the woke. We will fight the woke in education, we will fight the woke in the corporations, we will fight the woke in the halls of Congress."

He added:

"We will never ever surrender to the woke mob; leave it to the dustbin of history, it's gone."

Melania Trump wore the infamous green jacket while returning from visiting detained immigrant children

The comparison with Melania Trump comes from an old 2018 controversy when Melania, back then the first lady of America, was spotted wearing a $39 green Zara jacket with the words, "I REALLY DON'T CARE, DO U?" emblazed on the back. The controversy arose because she wore the jacket while returning from her visit with detained immigrant children in Texas shelters.

Donald Trump, then-president, acknowledged the Jacket in a tweet that claimed the message on the jacket was intended for the Fake News Media.

In an interview with ABC News, Melania spoke about the message that she intended to give out with the jacket. She said:

"It was for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticizing me. I want to show them I don't care. You could criticize whatever you want to say. But it will not stop me to do what I feel is right."

She criticized the media's attention on her clothing by saying that she would prefer if the media focused on what she does and her initiatives instead of what she wears.

About the author

Aaron covers a variety of topics as a popular culture writer at Sportskeeda. From reporting on entertainment news, Hollywood headlines to politics and social media reactions, Aaron’s versatility aligns with his early fascination of western pop culture and his background in journalism. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from St. Xavier's College, and started his professional journey with Sportskeeda.

Growing up, Aaron was obsessed with American animated shows, emo bands, and punk artists such as Avril Lavigne, Sum 41, early Fall Out Boy, and My Chemical Romance. He was moved by these artists' gritty demeanor and the surrounding culture, which was unlike anything he had seen back home.

Writing accurate and credible content is Aaron's top priority as a popular culture writer. To accomplish this, he relies on the original sources such as police reports, DOJ statements, case files, lawsuits, original court documents, original posts, etc.

When not writing, Aaron works on writing short stories on horror - his favorite genre. He also hangs out with his friends, plays video games, watches and plays football, and works out at the gym. He also loves listening to artists such as Megadeth, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Cannibal Corpse, Rob Zombie, Damian Jurado, Acid Ghost, J Cole, and Daughter on repeat.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande