This could’ve been much worse.
A viral video captured a moment during Wednesday night’s third Republican presidential debate in Miami, Florida, where Ron DeSantis appeared to stumble off the stage. The six-second clip, shared by the PatriotTakes account on X (formerly Twitter), shows the Florida governor momentarily losing his footing while descending from the stage, followed by a female voice questioning his movement. The video, garnering over 140,000 views and 340 retweets, sparked a mix of mockery and sympathy on social media.
According to Newsweek, Five candidates participated in the debate, including DeSantis, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, ex-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott. Notably absent was Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 GOP nomination, who skipped the last two Republican debates, citing his lead in the polls.
DeSantis’s stumble prompted various reactions on social media. Some users jokingly referenced allegations about him wearing heel lifts, while others expressed sympathy, emphasizing that such incidents are common for anyone. The debate itself featured heated clashes among the Republican contenders, touching on issues like federal spending and U.S. financial assistance to Ukraine.
During a dispute over TikTok, Haley called Ramaswamy “scum,” and the debate included controversial remarks when Ramaswamy referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “a Nazi,” a claim unsupported by evidence. In a post-debate interview, Haley continued to criticize Ramaswamy, stating that he is unworthy of the presidency.
DeSantis, a close competitor to Trump, criticized the former president for not attending the debate, highlighting issues such as the border wall, national debt, and the promise to “drain the swamp.” The Florida governor expressed frustration with Republicans facing electoral losses, citing recent defeats in Virginia and Ohio, where Democrats took control and abortion protections were reinforced in the state’s constitution, respectively.
WATCH:
Ron DeSantis stumbled down a step during a commercial break. #Debate2023 pic.twitter.com/k7OuN0Uxhw
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) November 9, 2023