Trump reposts meme insinuating DeSantis 'groomed' students, adds sarcastic denial

On February 7, 2023, Trump reposted on Truth Social an image bearing the caption 'Here is Ron DeSanctimonious grooming high school girls with alcohol as a teacher,' accompanied by a vomit emoji, and added his own sarcastic text: 'That's not Ron, is it? He would never do such a thing!' The photo, taken after the 2001-02 school year when DeSantis taught at the Darlington School in Georgia, showed him with three women whose faces were blurred; neither the original post nor Trump's amplification offered evidence of misconduct. Outlets including Newsweek, Rolling Stone, WPTV and the Tampa Bay Times described the post as amplifying an unsubstantiated 'grooming' insinuation against a potential 2024 primary rival. Asked about it the next day, DeSantis said he faces 'defamatory stuff every single day' as governor and said he spends his time 'delivering results for the people of Florida' rather than smearing fellow Republicans.

“That's not Ron, is it? He would never do such a thing!” Quote verified against source