Kari Lake says Florida governor has BDE — 'Big DeSantis Energy'
Kari Lake, the Republican nominee in the Arizona gubernatorial race, appeared at a rally with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday, where she praised DeSantis for his "BDE."
"[DeSantis] is gutsy. The guy has bigger..." Lake said, trailing off. "Wait, let me think about how I want to word this. My staff always says, 'Whatever you do, do not say "balls,"' so I'm not gonna say it. That guy has a backbone made of steel."
"I'll tell you what he's got," Lake continued. "I don't know if you've heard of this, but he's got BDE. Anybody know what that means? Ask your kids about it later."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to Urban Dictionary, BDE stands for "Big D--k Energy," which is defined as "subtle, sexy confidence."
"I call it 'Big DeSantis Energy,'" Lake said. "He's got the same kind of BDE that President Trump has. And, frankly, he has the same kind of BDE that we want all of our elected leaders to have."
The Hill reports that DeSantis spoke for around 45 minutes at the rally, where he touted Lake and GOP Senate nominee Blake Masters. Both candidates have been endorsed by Trump. DeSantis also condemned last week's raid on Mar-a-Lago, claiming that federal law enforcement has been "weaponized to be used against people that the government doesn't like."
DeSantis is scheduled to visit New Mexico on Sunday to stump for GOP gubernatorial candidate Mark Ronchetti.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Trump officials try to reverse DOGE-led firings
Speed Read Mass firings by Elon Musk's team have included employees working on the H5N1 bird flu epidemic and US nuclear weapons programs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump blames Ukraine for war after US-Russia talks
Speed Read The US and Russia have agreed to work together on ending the Ukraine war — but President Trump has flipped America's approach
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Musk's DOGE seeks access to IRS, Social Security files
Speed Read If cleared, the Department of Government Efficiency would have access to tax returns, bank records and other highly personal information about most Americans
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Senate confirms RFK Jr. as health secretary
Speed Read The noted vaccine skeptic is now in charge of America's massive public health system
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump lays out plans for broad 'reciprocal' tariffs
Speed Read Tariffs imposed on countries that are deemed to be treating the US unfairly could ignite a global trade war and worsen American inflation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Top US prosecutors resign rather than drop Adams case
speed read The interim US attorney for the Southern District and five senior Justice Department officials quit following an order to drop the charges against Mayor Eric Adams
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Senate confirms Gabbard as intelligence chief
Speed Read The controversial former Democratic lawmaker, now Trump loyalist, was sworn in as director of national intelligence
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, Putin plan Ukraine peace talks without Kyiv
Speed Read President Donald Trump spoke by phone to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not included
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published