'I identify with the rustics': DeSantis ridiculed for pretending he was 'culturally raised' in the midwest

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is being ridiculed for pretending in his book that he was raised in "the midwest," particularly swing states like Ohio and Pennsylvania.

"I was geographically raised in Tampa Bay," the book says, according to excerpts. "But culturally my upbringing reflected the working-class communities in western Pennsylvania and northeast Ohio — from weekly church attendance to the expectation that one would earn his keep. This made me God-fearing, hard-working and America-loving."

Some attacked DeSantis for implying that only people in western PA and NE Ohio went to church weekly. In fact, in many Protestant Christian churches, particularly in the southern states, it's not unusual to go to church twice a week, on Sunday and again on Wednesday, for fellowship gatherings, particularly among youth groups. Choir practice was usually at least one night a week as well.

Writer Sarah Rumpf noted that having grown up in Florida, she knew a lot of hard-working and God-fearing people, despite not growing up in Pennsylvania or Ohio.

The Lincoln Project's Rick Wilson had fun with the claim, but he also agreed with Rumpf that it was shocking for the governor to imply that his own state wasn't hard-working or God-fearing.

"The values I learned in Levy County — poaching, meth, and guiding dope planes into isolated logging roads — shaped me," he joked of the north-central Florida county.

"I was geographically raised in Tampa Bay, but culturally my upbringing reflected the royal court at Versailles, with outstanding wigs, elegant discourse, and utter disregard for the seething class oppression necessary to sustain it," Wilson also posted.

"I may have attended both Harvard and Yale, but culturally I identify with the rustics who eat chocolate pudding with their hands," mocked Helen Kennedy, referring to reports that DeSantis has atrocious table manners and ate with his fingers.

Another said something similar: “I was geographically raised in Tampa Bay, but culturally my upbringing reflected a raccoon’s scavenges, where I ate pudding with my fingers and licked out the cup.”

Paul Rudnick explained that the Tampa folks he knows aren't exactly fans of DeSantis.

"I was geographically raised in New Jersey but culturally my upbringing reflected Tampa Bay where everyone calls Ron DeSantis 'that bigoted asshole who eats pudding with his fingers,'" he tweeted.

Matt Johnson cited the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air," saying, 'I was geographically raised in Tampa, but culturally my upbringing reflected West Philadelphia. On the playground is where I used to play, Maxing and relaxing all cool, and shootin some b-ball outside of the school..."

Another follower of Wilson's he retweeted pulled in DeSantis' hate of transgender people.

"So… he was raised one place but identifies as something else…. Hmmmm," said Ryan Sublett

Rep. Anna V. Eskamani explained, "I was geographically raised in Orlando with a cultural perspective that allows me to easily detect BS when I see it."

"I was geographically raised on Coruscant, but culturally my upbringing reflected the working-class water farmers on Tatooine—from toiling long hours under the twin suns to fighting Tusken Raiders. This made me the Force-fearing, rugged individual that I am today," joked Mark Strauss.

"Where'd you grow up?" Everytown's Max Steel asked, going straight to politics. "I was geographically raised in Plurality-of-the-Caucuses, Iowa but culturally my upbringing reflected the working-class communities in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada."