Ron DeSantis’ book earned him at least $1.1 million but he remains saddled with student loan debt

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis earned at least $1.1 million from his new book, more than tripling his personal wealth from last year, according to a new federal disclosure filing.

DeSantis’s book, “The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival,” earned him between $1.1 million and $6 million in combined royalties and advances, according to the public financial disclosure report released Monday, which confirmed DeSantis’s income boost that Insider reported from his separate Florida Commission on Ethics filing last month.

In 2022, DeSantis’ net worth was less than $319,000, according to Insider, meaning that DeSantis more than tripled his wealth with the book income, adding to his State of Florida salary ranging between $100,000 to $1 million, according to the federal filing. DeSantis’s governor’s salary was previously reported at $141,400.20.

A requirement for all presidential candidates, the federal public financial disclosure report provides a glimpse into presidential hopefuls’ personal finances and investments. It only requires candidates to disclose their assets and liabilities in broad ranges for most items. But the U.S. Office of Government Ethics does direct filers to provide exact dollar figures for most instances of book income — something DeSantis didn't do.

DeSantis had requested — and received — an extension to file his report.

DeSantis’ federal report also indicated that the Florida governor is still paying off a student loan up to $15,000, and he does not own personal real estate.

Notably, his wife, Casey DeSantis, who is a driving force behind her husband's campaign, reported no income or assets — a detail that was not included in his recent personal financial disclosure from Florida.

DeSantis has drastically cut his campaign staff in recent weeks. His main Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump, still hasn’t filed his latest personal financial disclosure, while he simultaneously faces several legal challenges, Raw Story reported.

Trump’s most recent financial disclosure, however, shows the former president remains many orders of magnitude more wealthy than DeSantis, who is running a distant second to Trump in 2024 Republican presidential nomination polls.