Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wasted no time Sunday during his Simi Valley, California, visit before attacking Democratic-led states and their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is likely just the start of his national tour: He’s expected to officially announce his 2024 presidential run in the next few months.
Speaking at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, DeSantis was on the offensive, slamming vaccine mandates and claiming Democratic leaders are infected with a “woke mind virus,” Reuters reports.
In a sold-out speech to about 1,100 assembled people, DeSantis praised his state and slammed “leftist politicians imposing leftist ideologies.”
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“We’ve witnessed a great American exodus from states governed by leftist politicians imposing leftist ideologies and delivering poor results. And you can see massive gains in states like Florida, who are governing according to the tried and true principles that President Reagan held dear,” DeSantis said, according to The Washington Post.
He additionally argued that Americans “voted with their feet,” alluding to the increased migration to Florida during the pandemic.
As the Post reports, most experts believe the migration was mostly due to high housing prices on the West Coast and the ability to work from anywhere as offices shifted to remote work.
The governor was there to promote his book, The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival, but also to “share the Florida Blueprint to preserve and protect freedom,” he said.
Per usual, DeSantis did not interact with the press or those gathered. But he continued to praise his home state and rip into states that closed schools and/or required vaccines during the pandemic.
“When common sense suddenly became an uncommon virtue, Florida stood as a refuge of sanity, a citadel of freedom throughout the United States and indeed throughout the world,” he said, highlighting that Florida, on the other hand, “empowered people to make their own choices … Nobody in the state of Florida was going to be pushed to have to choose between the job they needed and the shots they didn’t want to take.”
DeSantis also took a jab at California Gov. Gavin Newsom, saying, “I know you’ve got a lot of problems out here, but your governor is very concerned about what we are doing in Florida … so I figured I had to come by.”
The Sacramento Bee reports that outside the venue, Democratic protestors assembled near the library’s entrance, holding signs in support of the LGBTQ community and in opposition to book banning.
Laura Zempel from nearby Moorpark told The Sacramento Bee, “What he’s doing in Florida is absolutely a laboratory for fascism … If he’s going to be a national figure, that would ruin our democracy.”
Another protestor who drove the 50 miles from Los Angeles called DeSantis “UnAmerican,” adding, “We support queer kids and trans kids … And we believe Black history is American history. We’re here to stand up for that.”
Although DeSantis has not announced his White House run, former President Donald Trump seems like he’s getting a bit nervous about a race against DeSantis.
During a recent interview, Trump issued what seems like a mild threat against the rising fascist Florida lawmaker.
We all know that Trump—like all totalitarian leaders and cartel thugs—doesn’t like disloyalty. DeSantis stopped licking Trump’s boots a while back and broke with the twice-impeached ex-president months ago. Trump hasn’t forgotten or forgiven.
Trump called into conservative podcast The Water Cooler and launched a shot across the bow at DeSantis, reminding listeners that he and he alone got the governor into office. "I got him elected, pure and simple,” Trump said.
Yes, electing the president by popular vote is possible! Joining us on The Downballot is former Vermont legislator Christopher Pearson, an official with National Popular Vote, the organization advocating for states to adopt a compact that would award their electoral votes to the presidential candidate who gets the most votes nationwide. Pearson walks us through the mechanics of the compact, debunks some common misconceptions, and lays out future steps toward hitting the required 270 electoral votes for the agreement to come into force.