Former first lady Melania Trump has "expressed curiosity about Casey DeSantis," the wife of Florida Governor and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, according to a recent report from The New York Times.
"In private, [Melania] has expressed curiosity about Casey DeSantis, the wife of Mr. Trump’s chief rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida," The Times wrote, citing interviews with "associates, campaign aides and friends" in Melania Trump’s orbit.
The Times also reported that "Melania Trump’s world has gotten smaller" since she left public life, putting her in stark contrast with Casey DeSantis, the aspiring first lady. Casey has increasingly become influential on the national scene over the past year, especially as she has appeared at multiple events in support of her husband's candidacy for president.
Melania, in contrast, has been notably absent from the public view, endorsing her husband's 2024 campaign, but largely eschewing appearances at rallies and with reporters.
What both Casey and Melania have in common is vehemently negative coverage from the press. Casey, like Melania, has been consistently targeted by media stories grilling her fashion sense and politics.
The Daily Beast published an op-ed in June describing the first lady of Florida as a "Walmart Melania" — an insulting comparison to the former first lady — after she was spotted in Iowa sporting a jacket that read on the back, "Where woke goes to die."
Melania faced her own wardrobe controversy in 2018 after she wore a jacket that read, "I really don't care, do u?" on the back.
Casey has also been called "America's Karen" and even compared to Lady MacBeth, the bloodthirsty wife in Shakespeare's classic play, and a wannabe Jackie Kennedy amid a series of politically motivated jabs.
Politico ran a story in May titled "The Casey DeSantis Problem: ‘His Greatest Asset and His Greatest Liability.'"
Mrs. Trump and Mrs. DeSantis did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn, Bailee Hill and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.