On Sunday, DeSantis attacked California Governor Gavin Newsom in his backyard.
Your governor is worried about what we are doing in Florida, so I decided I had to drop by even though I know you guys have a lot on your plate.
The governor of Florida is now making the rounds promoting his latest book, which has some people wondering if he is setting the stage for a future presidential run.
Ron DeSantis went on the offensive against California Gov. Gavin Newsom in his home state with the ‘anti-woke’ comments that have become his trademark. He credited his victory to not being kept ‘captive to polls’ and avoiding leaks.
On Sunday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis blamed the outflow of inhabitants to his state on the liberal policies established in California and other states.
‘I realize you’ve had a lot of problems out here, but your governor is extremely worried about what we are doing in Florida so I decided I had to come by,’ DeSantis joked at the opening of his speech at the Ronald Reagan Library to an audience of more than 1,300.
With DeSantis’s meteoric climb to national prominence, Newsom has aimed squarely at Florida in recent years.
On Friday, two days after proclaiming a state of emergency in response to a massive snowfall that dumped 17 feet of snow, California’s Democratic governor left for ‘personal travel,’ drawing criticism from many quarters. It was unclear from his press secretary where he had gone, although he was scheduled to fly back to California on Sunday.
The fact that DeSantis is now in California as part of a book tour just adds gasoline to the fire of speculation that he would soon announce his campaign for president. The governor of Florida is traveling to Iowa on Friday, the first day of the state’s primary election.
DeSantis will use the trip as a platform to discuss his “blueprint for America,” setting the stage for a possible 2020 presidential bid.
‘When I say you I’m going to do something, I do it,’ DeSantis asserted to a sold-out audience. “I won’t ramble on.”
The governor of Florida came to Simi Valley to promote his new book, The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Plan for America’s Restoration. His wife, Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis, and their two oldest children, Madison, 6, and Mason, 4, accompanied him when they arrived on Sunday afternoon. Mamie, the youngest, was left at home.
Education and parental rights, standing firm against “woke” institutions, and cracking down on rising crime were all important themes in DeSantis’s address, which suggests they will also figure prominently in his presidential platform.
DeSantis stated, “I’m going on the offensive on all of these issues,” adding that he promised to “not leave any meat on that bone” when he took office as governor in 2018.
He often criticized California’s regulations, bringing up his spat with Disney and how the ‘woke’ business was treated differently in California than in his state of Florida.
When considering these issues, he said, “I’m looking at them through the lens not just of a governor – but of a dad, and I believe parents in the state of Florida should be able to send their kids to elementary school without having an agenda jammed down their throats,” referring to his Parental Rights in Education law, which he signed into law last year.
If they are teaching a second grader that they have the freedom to select their gender, they are doing something wrong. And you won’t see that in the Sunshine State,” he said to thunderous applause.
To which I replied, “And I know you have a firm down the road in Burbank that has other notions about it,” he remarked, referring to Disney’s headquarters in sunny California. Over the past 60 years, they may have gotten their way in Florida, but there’s a new sheriff in town, and we’re not going to take it lying down.
This Monday, the governor approved a bill that would take away the Reedy Creek Improvement District’s tax-exempt, self-governing status; this district includes the Walt Disney World region near Orlando.
He celebrated this as a victory in the “battle against woke” after Disney’s then-CEO spoke out against his plan last year.
DeSantis also claimed that his staff played a significant role in his victory, saying that they kept the campaign’s operations tightly sealed and didn’t waste time reacting to polling data.
While I was governor, I never once checked any polls. A leader is not beholden to public opinion. ‘A leader will guide and influence public opinion,’ DeSantis added.
Don’t be concerned with the polls or the 24-hour news cycle, he said.
DeSantis said that this mindset was responsible for his massive swing in support from his narrow victory over Democratic-leaning opponent Ron DeSantis in 2018 (32,000 votes) to his massive victory against Republican-turned-Democrat Charlie Crist in 2022 (1.5 million votes).
While he only received 50% of the popular vote, he claimed that he was entitled to all executive authority.
DeSantis has claimed he only surrounds himself with team members who share his ideas.
We knew it was crucial to have competent people serving in administrative roles. I made it plain that no one would be tolerated who wasn’t acting in the best interest of the people of Florida and supporting the work for which we were elected.
We didn’t have an administration that leaked like a sieve for four years, he added. “There wasn’t a lot of excitement or royal entrance that you caught on camera,” he said.
Every day, we would tell the audience, “What you witnessed was surgical precise execution, and because of that, we beat the left every day.”