Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis fired back at House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Wednesday with a clever insult that quickly went viral.
DeSantis called Jeffries the “Dollar-Store Obama.”
After the Democratic leader threatened to target Republican incumbents in Florida, DeSantis said he couldn’t have been more delighted to have the New York liberal come South.
“This guy, Jeffries, popping off in Washington about Florida,” DeSantis said. “He wants to be Speaker of the House, and he’s kind of like, you know, more liberal than Pelosi.”
“Please, be my guest. I will pay for you to come campaign! I’ll put you up in the Florida governor’s mansion! We’ll take you fishing,” DeSantis said at a bill signing in Jacksonville. “We’ll do all this stuff.”
“There’s nothing that could be better for Florida Republicans than to see Hakeem Jeffries everywhere around this state,” he said. “Voters will not like what they see. The door is open. The invitation is out there.”
DeSantis said even Jeffries’ own party is against him.
“Now I kind of feel bad for the guy, because he’s as left as they come — he’s always going left — and yet the far left hates him,” DeSantis said. “They call him Dollar-Store Obama, they call him AIPAC Shakur. He tried to ingratiate himself, but they’re just not drinking the Kool-Aid.”
Take a look —
🚨 HOLY CRAP! Gov. Ron DeSantis just BODIED Hakeem Jeffries threatening Florida if we re-draw our 2026 maps
"'Oh, we're gonna go after Florida.' PLEASE. BE MY GUEST. I will PAY you to come campaign! I'll put you up in the Florida governor's mansion! We'll take you fishing.… pic.twitter.com/uAN8gVXVHR
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 22, 2026
Jeffries drew the insult after he warned Florida Republicans not to redraw their congressional maps following a major Democratic redistricting win in Virginia on Tuesday.
“Our message to Florida Republicans is, ‘F around and find out,'” Jeffries said, and claimed that “the electoral tide is turning in Florida” and promised “maximum warfare” — including eight Republican House incumbents he intends to target.
Virginia Democrats passed a massive gerrymandering reform Tuesday that would unfairly hand Democrats up to to four additional House seats ahead of the November midterms. With that win, Democrats are now estimated to have drawn 10 seats in their favor nationwide, compared to Republicans’ nine — putting the House majority in serious play.
Republicans immediately looked to Florida as their best shot to fight back.
Speaker Mike Johnson said flatly, “Florida has the right and the intention to do it. And my view is that they should.”
DeSantis has already called a special legislative session to consider redrawing the state’s congressional maps, with the session set to begin next week. Republicans hope to pick up as many as three seats in Florida — which would restore their advantage in the redistricting war.
However, several Florida Republicans are privately urging caution. Florida’s constitution contains strict anti-gerrymandering language, and critics say any maps drawn with clear partisan intent could be thrown out in court… much like Virginia’s already has been.