Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was seen sporting a larger frame as he toured a detention center.

DeSantis appeared on Fox News alongside Steve Doocy to show off his new ‘Alligator Alcatraz’, a detention center to house immigrants in the Sunshine State.

Wearing a black short sleeved shirt, slim fitting jeans and aviators, DeSantis appeared stockier than he has been in previous years as he toured the facility.

The 46-year-old was noticeably slimmer while campaigning for the presidency last year.

The gain was picked up by one social media user, who commented on the clip saying: ‘Ron needs to lose some weight’.

DeSantis had previously spoke about his secret to weight loss, telling Piers Morgan in an interview on Fox that his trick was to avoid sugar.

Speaking in 2023, he said: ‘I think the sugar is the biggest issue, because basically if you do sugar, your body burns sugar. If you don’t, it burns fat.’

The governor also highlighted the importance of ‘working out and just eating halfway decent’.

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DeSantis appeared on Fox News alongside Steve Doocy on Friday morning to show off his new ‘Alligator Alcatraz’, a detention center to house immigrants in the Sunshine State

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DeSantis is seen here in July of 2023, cutting a noticeably slimmer build

The weight gain was picked up by one social media user

New York Times writer Maggie Haberman claimed in her book ‘Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and The Breaking of America, that Trump had previously called DeSantis fat in private conversations.

DeSantis was questioned about those remarks by Morgan, saying: ‘It’s interesting, there are a lot of people when they go at you, sometimes they have really good ammunition.

‘Like you’re a crook. You did this. You did that for me. So for me, they’re talking about pudding. Like, is that really the best you got? Okay, bring it on.’

As part of his appearance on Fox with Doocy, DeSantis said his detention center would start processing people who entered the US illegally as of next week.

He said: ‘The state of Florida is all in on President Trump’s mission. There needs to be more ability to intake, process and deport.’

Environmental groups have filed a federal lawsuit against the site, in the heart of the Everglades, to block it being opened.

The lawsuit seeks to halt the project until it undergoes a stringent environmental review as required by federal and state law.

There is also supposed to be a chance for public comment, according to the lawsuit filed in Miami federal court.

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As part of his appearance on Fox with Doocy, DeSantis said his detention center, seen here, would start processing people who entered the US illegally as of next week

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Wearing a black short sleeved shirt and slim fitting jeans, DeSantis appeared stockier than he has been in previous years as he toured the facility

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DeSantis participates in the FOX Business Republican Primary Debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on September 27, 2023 in Simi Valley, California

Critics have condemned the facility as a cruel and inhumane threat to the ecologically sensitive wetlands.

The lawsuit names several federal and state agencies as defendants, including the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Eve Samples, Friends of the Everglades executive director, in a news release: ‘This site is more than 96% wetlands, surrounded by the Big Cypress National Preserve, and is habitat for the endangered Florida panther and other iconic species.

‘This scheme is not only cruel, it threatens the Everglades ecosystem that state and federal taxpayers have spent billions to protect.’

A spokesman for the Governor said: ‘Governor Ron DeSantis has insisted that Florida will be a force multiplier for federal immigration enforcement, and this facility is a necessary staging operation for mass deportations located at a pre-existing airport that will have no impact on the surrounding environment.’