Ron DeSantis' Sweaty Appearance Raises Questions

Ron DeSantis' appearance as he spoke to supporters in Oklahoma at the weekend prompted questions and mockery on social media.

The Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate secured the endorsement from Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Saturday, ahead of his speech at an event hosted by the Never Back Down PAC in Tulsa. Stitt is the first governor to formally announce his support for DeSantis, calling him "the right guy to beat Biden."

During his speech, DeSantis sought to convince voters that he was the better choice for the GOP presidential nomination than Donald Trump, who carried Oklahoma with more than 65 percent of the vote in both 2016 and 2020.

DeSantis continues to trail the former president in the polls, though Trump's position as frontrunner could be in danger as he faces dozens of felony charges accusing him of illegally hoarding classified information. Trump has denied the charges and stated he has done "nothing wrong."

Following DeSantis' speech, photos of the Florida governor in a shirt drenched with sweat circulated on social media.

"Ron DeSweaty in Oklahoma," Ron Filipkowski, an attorney who says he monitors right-wing extremism, tweeted alongside a photo of DeSantis from the event.

Some Trump supporters were quick to mock DeSantis, while others were critical of the lack of air-conditioning at the venue.

Laura Loomer, a far-right and anti-Muslim activist who is a staunch supporter of Trump, tweeted a photo of DeSantis from the event.

"Real pic of @RonDeSantis in Oklahoma today. Apparently his billionaire donors didn't budget for air conditioning or deodorant on the campaign trail," Loomer wrote. "Yikes."

Twitter user Misha Fitton also shared a photo of DeSantis from the event, writing: "If it was so hot, Ron's shirt gets DRENCHED, then you need AC for your attendees..."

Alex Bruesewitz, a Republican strategist who has been affiliated with Trump's Save America PAC, tweeted: "Desantis claimed that he had an overflow crowd in Oklahoma, but in reality, the people just didn't want to go inside of the building because there was no AC."

He added that DeSantis was "drenched in sweat because of the incompetence of his super PAC and team."

Another Trump supporter tweeted that DeSantis "was sweating so much in Oklahoma yesterday that his staffers had to buy him a new shirt at Walmart."

DeSantis stopped at a rodeo in Ponca later on Saturday, wearing a different shirt.

Others said DeSantis left immediately after his speech at the Tulsa event without interacting with attendees.

Attendees were "dropping left and right with medical emergencies," Caedmon Brooks tweeted. "Ron ran right out after his speech (terrible retail politics)."

Meanwhile, a clip of Stitt trying to rally the crowd for DeSantis during the event in Tulsa went viral on social media, with some likening it to former Florida governor Jeb Bush's infamous "please clap" remark made during his failed 2016 run for president.

Newsweek has contacted the DeSantis campaign for comment via email.