Memes, meatballs and Mickey’s revenge: Reaction to the end of the Ron DeSantis campaign

Critics of Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, are celebrating the lawmaker’s exit from the GOP presidential primary.

Mr DeSantis held off announcing his candidacy for months, sheepishly hinting through word and action that he planned to challenge Donald Trump in the primaries. Chatter in the political press suggested Mr DeSantis could pose a serious threat to Mr Trump’s primary race, but that pressure never materialised.

A week after he was handily beaten by Mr Trump in the Iowa Caucus, Mr DeSantis suspended his campaign and threw his support behind Mr Trump.

Senator John Fetterman celebrated the end of Mr DeSantis’s run by reminding the governor of problems he’s got waiting for him back in his home state of Florida.

“You come at the king, you best not miss,” Mr Fetterman wrote, alongside a picture of Mickey Mouse in a crown and royal robes.

Mr DeSantis attempted to punish Disney for defying him when the entertainment giant refused to back his “Don’t Say Gay” bill. All of his attempts to undermine the Mouse were thwarted by Disney’s lawyers.

Historian Michael Beschloss also referenced the world of film, responding to the end of Mr DeSantis’s campaign with a still from the classic film Sunset Boulevard.

“DeSantis (left) and the ex-President a week from now:,” Mr Beschloss wrote, along with a photo showing the characters Max von Mayerling and Norma Desmond from the film. Mr DeSantis is represented by Max the servant, and Mr Trump is represented by Norma Desmond, the ageing silent film star whose delusions lead her to believe she is still beloved and that the masses still long for her art.

In the film, Max knows Norma is delusional, but feeds into her fantasies to keep her from completely losing her mind.

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