Critics have torn into Politico over what appears to be a hit piece attacking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ wife, Casey DeSantis.
The New York Post reported:
The Politico article, “The Casey DeSantis Problem: ‘His Greatest Asset and His Greatest Liability,” quoted anonymous former DeSantis staffers, alleged insiders and Democratic strategists who accused the first lady of Florida of being “blindly ambitious” in an effort to help her husband become the next US president.
The popular governor is expected to announce his 2024 presidential bid next week after the Florida legislative session is through.
The story labeled Casey, a 42-year-old former Jacksonville TV anchor, breast-cancer survivor, and mom of three “paranoid” and “vindictive,” going on to quote a supposed male DeSantis supporter who said she needed to “take a more traditional role.” The piece also quoted a Trump operative who described her as being similar to “Lady MacBeth.”
“If you’re a Democrat and a woman, you’re ‘fierce’ or an ‘unapologetic’ or whatever,” a senior DeSantis adviser complained in an interview to The Post. “If you’re a Republican or a conservative, you turn into a cartoon villainess.
“The double standard is shameful. And the people who do this are always the most outspoken feminists on Twitter,” the DeSantis insider added.
In addition, the Politico piece included a quote from Trump loyalist Roger Stone: “Have you ever noticed … how much Ron DeSantis’ wife Casey is like Lady Macbeth?”
Nate Hochman, a speechwriter for DeSantis, replied to the situation by referencing a Politico article from the previous year that discussed the potential weaponization of gender roles in political attacks. The article highlighted instances involving prominent women such as former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, First Lady Jill Biden, and Gisele Fetterman, the wife of Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.).
“Politico, November 2022: Comparing women in politics to Lady Macbeth is a sexist trope,’’ Hochman tweeted.
New York Times conservative writer Ross Douthat, meanwhile, noted Politico’s quote from former GOP strategist Rick Wilson, who has become a darling of the left after he helped co-found the anti-Trump Lincoln Project: “Never cross Casey.”
The fascinating arc of history in which the founder of a "NeverTrump" organization is touting a piece about Casey DeSantis organized around a Lady MacBeth analogy that's based on a quote from, um, Roger Stone.https://t.co/Uhs2FhX3WY
— Ross Douthat (@DouthatNYT) May 19, 2023
“The fascinating arc of history in which the founder of a ‘NeverTrump’ organization is touting a piece about Casey DeSantis organized around a Lady MacBeth analogy that’s based on a quote from, um, Roger Stone,” Douthat wrote.
A disgusted Twitter user added, “I just started seeing these attacks on Mrs. Desantis, and WOW.
“These people have no shame from behind their keyboards, sad sad time we live in.. you don’t have to like or support her husband, but you also should be a decent human being!”
Meanwhile, several DeSantis staffers swatted down the accusations.
“When activist media like @politico et al have no real access but want to push their narrative anyways about @GovRonDeSantis or @CaseyDeSantis, they quote liberal activists and pretend they’re insiders,” the governor’s press secretary, Bryan Griffin, seethed on Twitter.
Christina Pushaw, a former press secretary for Ron DeSantis, responded by supporting Griffin: “Fact check: TRUE.”
