Ron DeSantis had a ‘normal people’ Christmas in Florida

Ron DeSantis is back in Iowa, where he’s explaining his decision to spend Christmas in the state he governs.

During an interview on WHO radio, the 2024 presidential candidate described how he spent his holiday and why he spent it outside of the Hawkeye State.

“We did get to go to Florida for Christmas. So we had a few days there where we were just normal people,” DeSantis said. “Part of it is people, during Christmas, they’re not exactly going to attend campaign events. So we were just like, you know what, we’re going to do that.”

DeSantis noted that “Santa came through very well,” though not without some technical difficulties.

“Santa probably didn’t do the best job wrapping the presents, maybe a little too much eggnog there,” DeSantis said. “But what ended up happening is, the kids wake up and rip it open right away anyway. So it’s all good.”

The Governor also described the challenges involved after the unwrapping.

“I spent a lot of Christmas and the next day putting together a lot of the things that they got. And so some of the things took a little bit more elbow grease than others, but it was fun.”

The Governor previously has described challenges beyond “elbow grease” when putting together toys from China for his children. He has said “it ends up breaking in two days anyways and it’s because it’s cheap stuff that comes from China and it’s just frustrating.” He did not mention if he bought toys this year sourced from that country.

DeSantis also apparently resisted the temptation to buy his children a dog at Christmas, even though the Governor’s Mansion has a “big yard” that would afford the pooch space to “run around and have a lot of fun.” He said last year that purchase might have to wait until he’s in the White House.