Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just became the center of a culture war firestorm.
The Left is losing their minds over what his son is wearing this Halloween.
And Ron DeSantis revealed one Halloween costume that turned heads across the country.
Florida Governor's son channels FSU warrior tradition for Halloween
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sparked controversy when he revealed his seven-year-old son Mason's Halloween costume during an October 27 appearance on Jesse Watters Primetime.
Mason DeSantis is dressing up as Osceola, the legendary Seminole warrior who rides onto the field at Florida State University home football games and plants a flaming spear into the turf.¹
Mason, 7, is "a die-hard Florida State fan," his father told Watters. "I'm not sure I'm going to turn him loose with a flaming spear, but he is going to have all the other accouterments," DeSantis said.²
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1982970046193234238
The Osceola tradition at Florida State began in 1978 and represents the university's unique partnership with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
Florida State doesn't just hand out the Osceola role to anyone who can ride a horse.
Students go through a two-year apprenticeship, need serious riding skills, and have to keep their grades at 3.0 or better.³
The Seminole Tribe of Florida doesn't mess around with the costume either.
Tribal members design and approve everything Osceola wears — the leather clothing, moccasins, face paint, garnet bandana.⁴
Watters connects the dots to DeSantis' anti-woke crusade
Watters saw the opening and took it.
"It's amazing that would have been a very politically incorrect costume a couple years ago, but I think now he can go and he can go proud," Watters told DeSantis.⁵
He wasn't wrong about the political angle.
DeSantis signed his Stop WOKE Act into law back in April 2022.⁶
The law blocks Florida schools and businesses from teaching certain ideas about race, gender, and systemic racism.⁷
DeSantis sold it as fighting "woke indoctrination," but federal judges kept striking down chunks of it as unconstitutional.⁸
Here's the thing critics can't stop pointing out.
DeSantis spent years railing against diversity programs and what he calls "cultural Marxism," yet his son is wearing a costume depicting a Native American warrior — imagery that some view as cultural appropriation.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1982970046193234238
While Florida State maintains the blessing of the Seminole Tribe of Florida leadership for using Osceola and Seminole imagery, the larger Seminole Nation of Oklahoma officially condemned "the use of all American Indian sports-team mascots" in a 2013 resolution.⁹
FSU's unique relationship with Seminole Tribe sets it apart
Florida State's situation differs dramatically from other schools that have faced criticism over Native American mascots.
The university established a formal relationship with the Seminole Tribe of Florida that includes tribal members designing Osceola's regalia, tribal representatives traveling annually to crown the Homecoming chief and princess, and FSU creating scholarship programs for tribal members.¹⁰
The tribe helped design a course specifically for FSU students titled "History of the Seminoles and Southeastern Tribes," which focuses on Seminole history and traditions.¹¹
When the NCAA threatened sanctions in 2005 against schools using Native American mascots and names, Florida State received an exemption specifically because of its relationship with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.¹²
The tribe's chairman and council members have publicly stated their support for FSU's use of the Seminole name and Osceola imagery.
But critics point out the political complications.
Leaders of the Florida tribe are heavily involved in business ventures including Indian casinos, creating what some see as a financial incentive to maintain the relationship with FSU.¹³
The much larger Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, meanwhile, has vocally opposed FSU's use of Native American imagery, with activists calling the Osceola ritual a "minstrel show."¹⁴
DeSantis picked this fight before
DeSantis doesn't hide how much his family loves Florida State football.
Back in December 2023, the Seminoles went undefeated and got shut out of the College Football Playoff anyway.
DeSantis wanted to set aside $1 million in state money so FSU could sue the playoff committee.¹⁵
"My first-grader, my fifth-grader and my preschooler… they are all 'Noles, and they are big-time fans, and they do the tomahawk chop, and they were not happy," DeSantis said at the time.¹⁶
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1732149757773045927
Mason's choice to dress as Osceola reflects the family's genuine connection to FSU football.
But it also highlights the tension between DeSantis' political brand — built on opposing what he calls political correctness — and participating in traditions that some consider culturally insensitive.
When asked what costume he would wear while taking his kids trick-or-treating, DeSantis kept it simple.
"I pretty much just play the governor, man. That's what I do," DeSantis said.¹⁷
This Halloween costume controversy won't be the last culture war battle the DeSantis family finds itself in as the Governor continues positioning himself as a champion of traditional values against woke ideology.
¹ James Call, "Mason DeSantis' Halloween costume channels FSU spirit as Osceola," USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida, October 27, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ "Osceola and Renegade," Wikipedia, May 15, 2025.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Call, "Mason DeSantis' Halloween costume."
⁶ "Stop WOKE Act," Wikipedia, October 2025.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ "Native American mascots create 'double oppression,'" The Crimson White, date unknown.
¹⁰ "FSU: Unique Chance to Lead by Example on Racial Issues," Sports Illustrated Florida State Seminoles News, July 9, 2020.
¹¹ Ibid.
¹² "Osceola and Renegade," Wikipedia.
¹³ Ibid.
¹⁴ "Native American mascots create 'double oppression,'" The Crimson White.
¹⁵ "Governor Ron DeSantis Sets Aside $1 Million For FSU's Legal Battles Against CFP," Sports Illustrated Florida State Seminoles News, December 5, 2023.
¹⁶ "Ron DeSantis slams CFP, wants to sue over Florida State snub," ESPN, December 5, 2023.
¹⁷ Call, "Mason DeSantis' Halloween costume."
