On stage during the Republican primary debate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ failed attempt to fake a smile generated a lot of buzz on social media.
DeSantis appeared to try to smile at the end of a line of applause but either changed his mind or failed to smile when asked. When the camera zoomed in on his face at the time, the result was a half-hearted smile and half-grimace that looked incredibly awkward. The camera quickly zoomed out and centered on the remaining contestants on stage, though.
Memes about DeSantis’ forced smile were all over social media. Some people criticized his “forced” smile, while others outright referred to him as an alien masquerading as a human.
Brain: “Okay, now smile!”
Face: ????
Brain: “That’s not a smile.”
Face: ????
Brain: “DO BOTH SIDES”
Face: ????
Brain: “NOT LIKE THAT”
Face: ????
Brain: “Okay now you’re doing it on purpose”
Face: ???? https://t.co/nLHu3DiRh6— Jedi Ghost ????️⚧️????️???????????? ???????? (@JediCounselor) August 24, 2023
For someone suing Disney he looks an awful lot like a Disney World animatronic here. https://t.co/bfZCj1GFJP
Advertisement— Jim Messina (@Messina2012) August 24, 2023
Suddenly I'm ???? on board with the lizard people conspiracy. https://t.co/i7KbWqYkmY
— Patrick S. Tomlinson (@stealthygeek) August 24, 2023
This is the look of a person about to snap. They’re going to find him under an overpass in his underwear screaming into a pineapple. https://t.co/B18WtILVlt
— The Dread Pirate Mark Brooks (@MarkBrooksArt) August 24, 2023
I will forever see this clip in my brain when I read the phrase, "a forced smile." https://t.co/Va0Dn041tZ
— Andrew L. Seidel (@AndrewLSeidel) August 24, 2023
Ron DeSantis trying to smile like he’s an actual real human. #rondesantis #republicandebate #fuckthisfascist pic.twitter.com/3y3YfcPyKH
— Jules ❄️???? (@jules_is_ok) August 24, 2023
As a result of his remarks regarding abortion during the debate, DeSantis also got himself into some trouble. When questioned about the contentious subject, the GOP member launched into a fable that has never been proven to be true.
“Penny is the name of a lady I know in Florida. She survived numerous attempts at abortion. She was abandoned in a pan, according to DeSantis. She was fortunately saved by her grandmother, who took her to a different hospital. Compared to what the Democrats are offering, we are superior. We won’t permit abortion up until the moment of birth, and we’ll hold them responsible for their extremism.
Following his improbable story on the debate stage, many people on social media pointed out that “late-term” abortions targeting born, living infants were not actually occurring because abortions up until delivery hardly ever did.
Ron Desantis mentioned that he knows a woman named Penny from Florida who “survived multiple abortion attempts” and was dumped in a pan, but after that, he was silent for about ten minutes. X, formerly known as Twitter, said one of its users. I, for one, would like to meet the aborted fetus who was rescued from a pan, rushed to a hospital, and saved by her grandmother, said another. I have a suspicion that DeSantis received that blather from a Trump insider and just ran with it. Lol”
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