Video of Casey DeSantis Taking Husband's Place During Rally Goes Viral

A clip of Ron DeSantis' wife Casey DeSantis speaking at a Republican event in South Carolina has gone viral as she further involves herself in the Florida governor's 2024 campaign.

On Monday, Casey DeSantis spoke at South Carolina congressman Jeff Duncan's 12th annual Faith and Freedom BBQ in Anderson, an event that was originally meant to see Ron DeSantis headline.

Instead, Ron DeSantis went back to Florida over the weekend and announced he would be staying there in order to help the state prepare for the upcoming arrival of Tropical Storm Idalia.

Casey DeSantis, who has joined up with her husband on a number of his 2024 campaign stops, went to South Carolina on Monday in place of the Florida governor and spoke at Duncan's event.

A clip of the Florida first lady speaking at the rally has emerged on social media, where supporters of 2024 GOP primary frontrunner Donald Trump mocked her for telling anecdotes about her children on the campaign trail.

"This is the first time that I've been out on the town without the better half and a six-, five- and a three-year-old. I don't really know what to do with myself," Casey DeSantis said in the edited clip.

"We just got back from a five-day swing with that six-, five- and a three-year-old because somebody thought it would be a really good idea to bring small children to the first Republican debate for president of the United States.

"Everybody was asking me they're like, 'What was the governor's pre-debate routine?' What was he thinking about moments before he went on to the debate stage? Honestly, he was negotiating with the five-year-old as to why you cannot lock the three-year-old in the bathroom, why you can't jump on the bed and color on the walls in the hotel," she added,

"That was honestly what was going through all of our minds before we went out there."

The Trump-supporting X Account @Miguelifornia shared the clip on social media with the caption: "Casey DeSantis again tries to convince us her bad parenting & bratty destructive kids are cute."

In reply, another pro-MAGA profile, @nan_mclellan, wrote: "That's actually painful to listen to, and I like kids and mom stories. Those kids though...yikes! Make discipline great again."

The clip was also reshared by Ron Filipkowski, a former federal prosecutor and co-host of the YouTube show MAGA Uncovered, Track & Report on the Right-Wing, who is a vocal critic of Trump and DeSantis.

"Ron DeSantis actually has to work a few days since we have a hurricane coming, so Casey went in his place to SC. Things went pretty much as I expected."

Filipkowski posted on X while sharing the clip, which has since been viewed more than 300,000 times.

DeSantis' campaign team has been contacted for comment via email.

Despite the online criticism, others said that Casey DeSantis was well-received at the South Carolina event.

Meg Kinnard, national politics reporter for the Associated Press, noted that Casey DeSantis received "big cheers" when she criticized the Biden family, saying that if her husband won the 2024 election he would be a president "who helps the children in the White House with homework instead of cocaine."

The quip was an apparent reference to the unsubstantiated claims pushed by Republican figures who suggested that the cocaine found in the White House in July may have belonged to Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, who has a known history of drug addiction.

Another social media user who attended the Faith & Freedom BBQ wrote: "Casey DeSantis was "bright & courageous; the 2000 guests welcomed her warmly & applauded her loudly. Very well received."

A Politico profile in May detailed alleged concerns from those close to the Florida governor about how much Casey DeSantis will be involved in his 2024 campaign.

"She is both his biggest asset and his biggest liability. And I say biggest asset in that I think she does make him warmer, softer," Dan Eberhart, a DeSantis supporter and top GOP donor, told Politico.

"I've heard from staffers frustrated that they think the governor's made a decision, he talks to her, comes back, the decision is the opposite or different.

"The sad part is I think she's very smart. I think she's very talented," Eberhart added. "But she also needs to realize if they want to play on this stage, they need serious help. I worry that winning the gubernatorial race, winning the reelect, has made her overconfident in her ability to de facto run a presidential campaign."