Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis didn’t explicitly say he’s running for president, but his speech at the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) convention on Monday night sure sounded like a man with plans beyond the Sunshine State.
Get Ready for DeSantis
“Get ready. Put on the full armor of God,” DeSantis said, pausing 25 times for applause during his 30-minute speech. “Stand firm for the truth and don’t ever ever back down. We appreciate what we’ve done in Florida. We’re proud of what we accomplished in Florida. But I can tell you this, I have only begun to fight.”
A Dark Picture of a Troubled Nation
DeSantis painted a dark picture of a troubled nation in the grip of a weak administration that has been hijacked by leftist progressive ideology. “If you look around our country, it’s almost like things are upside down. There is a lot of pessimism out there but I think that what we’ve done in Florida should inspire people with a sense of hope,” he said.
One asset overlooked by the current administration in righting the nation, DeSantis said, is God. “The people who are in power now do not like people of faith and so we have to get this government under control,” he said. “We have to make sure that the bureaucracy is ‘re-constitutionalized’ and, ultimately, the government is returned to its rightful owners: We the American people.”
Leading the Way
The next election will determine the nation’s course for decades, which is why people of faith must lead the way, DeSantis told the Christian audience at the convention. “American decline is not inexorable. It is a choice,” he said. “A great American comeback is attainable and freedom sure is worth fighting for. When you see the chaos and deceit in the world around us, it should prompt us to look higher.”
4,000 Outlets Reaching 90 Million Americans a Day
NRB’s annual convention, billed as the “world’s largest gathering of Christian communicators and ministry professionals,” is attended by representatives of more than 4,000 U.S. Christian radio and television stations with more than 200 media-related companies sharing 40,000-square-feet of exhibit space in the Marriott Convention Center.
The multi-billion dollar U.S. Christian broadcasting, publishing, and digital media industries reach an estimated 150 million readers, listeners, and viewers a week—more than the numbers who regularly attend weekly church services—with about 90 million Americans saying they experience Christian radio, television, digital media, or books daily, according to Barna Research and the Association of American Publishers.
Former U.S. House Speaker Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) were among first-day speakers, addressing NRB audiences before DeSantis delivered his speech, which was followed by evangelist Franklin Graham’s keynote address.
The NRB traditionally invites the host governor of whatever state the annual convention is in to deliver a first-day address.
Parent’s Rights, Disney, Israel
The governor recited his recent slate of legislative initiatives adopted by Florida’s GOP-dominated legislature, which include a “heartbeat” abortion bill, parents rights legislation, “the biggest expansion of school choice in the nation’s history,” bans on gender-changing surgery for minors, and eliminating marxist-inspired critical race theory and other “toxic ideologies” from the state’s K-12 curriculum—all while sustaining vibrant economic growth and low taxes.
“And if Disney doesn’t like that, well, here I stand. I am not backing down one inch,” DeSantis said to applause, referring to his squabble with the entertainment giant that has been pushing a progressive agenda. “I am going to do what is right and we are going to make sure we are standing up for our children, because our children are more important than the almighty dollar.”
When DeSantis assumed office in 2018, the governor recalled how was immediately able to appoint three Florida Supreme Court justices to succeed three liberal judges who had been on the bench for decades but were forced into retirement by a new state law requiring retirement at age 75.
“In the first month in office, I was able to turn the Florida Supreme Court from one of the nation’s most liberal to one of the most conservative,” DeSantis said.
There could be similar opportunities for the next president to do so over the next eight years
