Ron DeSantis' Awkward Smile Attempt Is Creeping Everyone Out

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ appearance at Wednesday night’s Republican presidential debate might be best remembered not for what he said, but what he did.

Or rather, what he tried to do.

DeSantis seemed to attempt a smile at the end of an applause line, then either thought the better of it or simply failed to pull it off during the Fox News event:

love smiling like a human pic.twitter.com/5BJWYJaC5g
— Brennan Murphy (@brenonade) August 24, 2023

DeSantis’ odd facial expressions and mannerisms have often been turned into jokes and memes on social media.

In spring, his awkward laugh cracked up his critics on X, then known as Twitter.

After Wednesday night’s debate, his odd smile attempt had many of his critics wincing:

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

I can hear the curb your enthusiasm theme
— Shwaz (@theycallmeshwaz) August 24, 2023

For someone suing Disney he looks an awful lot like a Disney World animatronic here. https://t.co/bfZCj1GFJP
— 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

Say what you will about this worthless debate, I will always remember it as the time when Ron DeSantis tried to figure out how to smile for the first time on live television. https://t.co/OLFBq4Uzsp
— Too Big To Fail (@Too_Big_To_Fail) 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

If you remember Bobcat Goldthwaite from Police Academy, that's how DeSantis smiles https://t.co/MVlJAO1sJo
— NY2Clt - I am The Negater🟧 (@CharlotteNC2022) August 24, 2023

Someone didn’t leave Ron plugged in for his update last night. https://t.co/QnkwGmKXj5
— Swede Duck 🦦 (@SwedeDuck) August 24, 2023

“But I am telling you right now, that motherf*cker…that motherf*cker right there is NOT real!” https://t.co/sHg4uTREqL
— Sista D.Barnes👑✊🏾🔥 (@sistadbarnes) August 24, 2023

Definitely practiced his human face a few hours in the mirror and still failed https://t.co/QnoEQNhrgA
— Lori (@thebutterknife) August 24, 2023

Bro is this guy homelander? https://t.co/eK3lLKsHT9
— Mutahar (@OrdinaryGamers) August 24, 2023

Hell yeah brother that’s the stuff https://t.co/3iekhmzThJ
— caitie delaney (@caitiedelaney) August 24, 2023

Ron DeSantis’ smile is still buffering https://t.co/rjhnpTRzJV pic.twitter.com/DUGPWijcgS
— Arlen Parsa (@arlenparsa) August 24, 2023

Have the Imagineers at @WaltDisneyWorld noticed whether any of their audio-animatronics have gone missing of late? I think #DeSantis stole one and it was malfunctioning tonight. Badly. 🤔 https://t.co/2zTJOUkkcV
— Sandy MacGowan (@macgowans) August 24, 2023

https://t.co/DGisXljOU9 pic.twitter.com/nkfb48KxeW
— First generation home renter (@InternetHippo) August 24, 2023

DeSantis looking like an alien learning how to smile for the first time. #GOPDebate pic.twitter.com/TgidvI6UHW
— Protect Robert Mueller ✊ (@DisavowTrump20) August 24, 2023

Is Ron DeSantis trying to make us believe he’s human by
trying to smile? #republicanDebate pic.twitter.com/vWORfl81DW
— Sassenach 2.0 🩺 (@ClaireFraser363) August 24, 2023