'America's Karen': Casey DeSantis faces insults, but Ron DeSantis calls them a 'badge of honor'

Florida Governor and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis defended his wife, Casey DeSantis, after MSNBC analyst and former GOP Florida Rep. David Jolly called her an insulting nickname “America’s Karen.”

“My wife is an incredibly strong first lady of Florida, a fantastic mother and a great wife, and that threatens the left so she and I kind of shrug it off because we know it just shows they view her as a threat,” Ron DeSantis said on Fox Business' “Varney & Co.”

The insult against Casey DeSantis came as MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart said on his Saturday show − featuring Jolly and The Lincoln Project member Tara Setmayer − that she has started campaigning for her husband and launched a Mamas for DeSantis initiative.

“Casey DeSantis is a fairly compelling political figure in Florida, and now nationally,” Jolly said. “For many, she's the brighter side to Florida's angry governor. For others, she's become America's Karen. And I think that's the ultimate disconnect here with a campaign that needs to embrace more constituencies to get to the White House.”

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But Ron DeSantis later shrugged off the criticism, noting that he and his wife wear it as a “badge of honor.”

“She's a great advocate for families, a great advocate for children,” he said. “And I'm thankful that she's my wife. And I'm really honored that she's willing to go out there and press the case.”

Casey DeSantis has long appeared on the campaign trail with her husband, who is trailing former President Donald Trump in polls for the 2024 presidential race.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ron DeSantis speaks out after Casey DeSantis called "America's Karen"