Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey made a surprise appearance at the wedding of Iowa State Representative Taylor Collins and his wife Savannah, turning the event into a campaign opportunity.
The couple walked behind the newlyweds as they entered the wedding venue, receiving cheers and a standing ovation from the approximately 150 guests. This move by DeSantis comes just days after former President Donald Trump also crashed a wedding at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey.
Video footage shared on social media shows DeSantis entering the wedding reception to loud cheering and whistling, waving to the crowd. The newlyweds quickly moved to the side as Representative Collins enthusiastically clapped for DeSantis. Governor of Iowa Adam Gregg also shared a photo of himself and his family with DeSantis on Twitter, congratulating the couple and expressing his happiness for them.
According to The New York Times, DeSantis and his wife spent time mingling with the guests after their arrival. It was reported that they were invited last minute by the bride, Savannah Collins, surprising her husband who had previously endorsed DeSantis.
DeSantis had been in Iowa on a two-day trip, highlighting his conservative record in Florida on education, abortion, and gender policy. He also presented a GOP crowd-pleasing agenda for the nation, including a promise to declare a national emergency and deploy the military to the southern border upon taking office. Recent polling by The New York Times and Siena College suggests that Trump is likely to win the state of Iowa in the Republican Primaries, with 55 percent of the vote, while DeSantis closely follows with 39 percent.
However, the appearance of DeSantis and his wife at the wedding has drawn criticism for overshadowing the couple's special day. Some have pointed out that Jill DeSantis was wearing white, which is traditionally reserved for the bride.
Critics have accused DeSantis of crashing the wedding to draw attention to his struggling campaign. Journalist Laura Loomer tweeted, "DeSantis campaign is going so bad hes forced to be a wedding crasher in order to draw a crowd." Another Twitter user commented, "Upstaging the bride and groom on their wedding day is the most DeSantis thing I've ever seen."
This incident follows former President Donald Trump's own wedding crashing episode, where he attended the wedding of Megan Costello and Gerardo Rojas at his New Jersey golf club. Videos circulating on social media show Trump walking down a staircase to chants of "USA!" and shaking hands with members of the cheering crowd. He then had a private conversation with the bride and groom before addressing the crowd via microphone. Trump's appearance at the wedding came just hours after he was indicted in a Washington D.C. courthouse.
Recent polls indicate that Trump is leading the race for the Republican nomination in 2024, with a significant lead over DeSantis. In a recent poll, Trump received 53.3 percent support, while DeSantis trailed behind with only 14.3 percent. Additionally, a survey of registered voters showed that if an election were held today, Trump would defeat President Joe Biden by five percent.
The poll also revealed widespread discontent with both major party candidates, with 70 percent of respondents looking for another option. A majority of those polled also believed that President Biden was mentally unfit to continue serving as President.
DeSantis' campaign pollster, Ryan Tyson, criticized the poll's findings, arguing that the national sample, collected through an internet panel, did not accurately represent likely Republican voters based on their voting history.
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