Was Ron DeSantis a Navy Seal? GOP Hopeful's Remarks Spark Outrage

Social media users questioned if Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was a member of the U.S. Navy Sea, Air and Land (SEAL) Team on Wednesday night, following remarks he made during the first Republican primary debate.

"Ron DeSantis says he was a Navy SEAL. He was NOT. He was a lawyer in the Navy, and at one point he was assigned to provide legal support for a SEAL team commander," lawyer Tristian Snell wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The comments on social media about DeSantis, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, come shortly after Wednesday night's debate, where he spoke about his time in the military and mentioned the U.S. Navy SEALS.

During the debate, DeSantis was asked if he would support mandatory military service for Americans and said, "I think it should be voluntary, I'm someone that volunteered to serve, inspired by September 11 and I deployed to Iraq alongside U.S. Navy SEALs in places like Fallujah, Ramadi." Newsweek has reached out to the DeSantis campaign via email for comment.

Although DeSantis never explicitly said that he was a member of the U.S. Navy SEALS during his time in Iraq, his remarks during the debate sparked a range of responses on social media, with many criticizing the GOP presidential hopeful.

"Contrary to their lies. Ron DeSantis was NOT a Navy SEAL," X user Lindy Li, a political strategist and a delegate for President Joe Biden, said.

X user Alex Bruesewitz, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, wrote: "It's very odd that DeSantis tries to act like he was a Navy SEAL. Many veterans I know reached out to me and said they're bothered by that. Strange!"

Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger said on X that DeSantis was a member of the Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG). "Nothing against JAGS, but quit trying to make people believe you were a navy seal. Jags go through two weeks of training vs other people," Kinzinger wrote in a post.

James LaPorta, a journalist for The Messenger, wrote on X that he previously used a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain DeSantis's service record which confirmed that he served alongside U.S. Navy SEALS in Iraq.

"He was a staff judge advocate, meaning he advised commanders on the legalities of warfare. He also advised on detention operations," LaPorta wrote.

In 2018, the Miami Herald reported on the Florida governor's time in the U.S. military and spoke with his former commander in Iraq who confirmed that DeSantis arrived in the Middle Eastern country in 2007 when hundreds of U.S. soldiers were ordered to respond to insurgencies in Fallujah. According to the newspaper, DeSantis became a senior legal adviser to the U.S. Navy SEAL Captain Dane Thorleifson, who oversaw the Task Force-West in Fallujah.