Critics Who Compare Casey DeSantis to Melania Trump Might Be Missing Her Most Obvious First Lady Role Model

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There has been quite a bit of discourse over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ wife, Casey, and her decision to fashion herself as an “aspirational” Melania Trump. However, one noted journalist, Kate Andersen Brower, author of First Women: The Grace and Power of America’s Modern First Ladies, exclusively told SheKnows that some political observers might be missing the most obvious comparison — Casey might be looking back even further in history to another first lady as her role model.

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Brower believes that Casey is more like Nancy Reagan out on the campaign trail than Melania — and once you hear her reasons why, it makes complete sense. “Casey DeSantis is filling that more stereotypical wife, mother, and advisor [role]” she explains. “She reminds me a bit of Nancy Reagan. She’s his biggest protector. He’s the governor of a major, important state.” When Ronald Reagan was running for the White House in 1980, he was the former governor of California and Nancy was his highly influential adviser behind the scenes.  

Much has been made about Casey being Ron’s “secret weapon” in his quest for the Republican Party nomination — from leaning into the supportive wife narrative to trying to make her husband seem more relatable on the national stage. She is savvy when it comes to public relations and the media from her years as a news anchor, so don’t be fooled into thinking she’s a shrinking violet. “I have heard that, and it’s been out there, that she’s very involved in who his staff is, who he hires, [and] who he surrounds himself with. She’s giving him political advice. So it’s very Nancy Reagan to me,” Brower says. “And I think that she’s going to help him a lot.”

‘First Women: The Grace and Power of America’s Modern First Ladies’

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Ron’s campaign has a long way to go to match the success of Donald Trump’s current frontrunner status, but anything can happen as the former president battles his legal woes. With Casey by Ron’s side, she hopes to empower his supporters to give his run for president a second chance, and if she looks to Nancy as her role model, anything is possible.

Before you go, click here to see presidential families over the years.

Launch Gallery: 13 Iconic First Lady Fashion Moments That Shaped History

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