Ron DeSantis touts Florida record in South Carolina speech with wife

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) touted his record as Florida’s governor and touched on more personal topics alongside his wife at an event in South Carolina on Wednesday evening.

DeSantis gave a pitch for why he’s a good leader as part of his “Florida blueprint” speaking tour in Spartanburg, South Carolina. In his initial speech, before sitting down with his wife for a more casual conversation, the Florida governor presented his state as a bastion of sanity and conservative values. He depicted it as one of the few where Republicans can get things done.

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“You know, Florida, we’re proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish,” he began. “Florida shows that leadership really matters. Results matter. And I think if you look at our results, they are second to none.”

He cited statistics on net emigration, economic freedom, education freedom, parental involvement in education, and public higher education as supporting his point. He then touted his record as governor during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying he chose “freedom over Faucism.”

“When the world went crazy during COVID, when common sense suddenly became an uncommon virtue, we in Florida stood as a refuge of sanity, as a citadel of freedom for people in our state throughout these United States, and even for people throughout the world,” he continued. “We refused to let our state descend into some type of Faucian dystopia.”

In perhaps a subtle attack against former President Donald Trump, DeSantis touted his supportive staff and lack of leaks during his administration.

“If you’re bringing any other agenda to this administration, other than what is in the best interests of Floridians and what we campaigned on during the campaign, if you’re putting your own agenda in that mix, then pack your bags right now; there is the door, we don’t have time for this,” he said.

“We’ve got a job that we’ve got to get done. And we’ve been able to execute day after day, with very little behind-the-scenes fanfare or leaking or palace intrigue because ultimately all that does is distract from your ability to get to true north,” he added.

DeSantis also touted his struggle against Disney and “wokeism,” appropriating a famous Winston Churchill quote to express his dedication to fighting “woke” ideology.

“The woke represents a war on truth; we have no other recourse but to wage a war on woke,” he said. “We fight the woke in the schools, we fight the woke in the legislature, we fight the woke in the corporations; we will never ever surrender to the woke mob. Florida is where woke goes to die.”

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After his speech, the Florida governor was joined by his wife in a sit-down conversation. The two relayed vignettes of their relationship, raising a family in the governor’s mansion, and the importance of fighting wokeism for a better future for their three children.

DeSantis’s Florida blueprint speaking tour, which has seen him travel to several politically important states, is widely seen as a warmup for his expected announcement of a run for president in 2024.