DeSantis slams Newsom in California speech where he promotes his ‘anti-woke’ agenda

Ron DeSantis attributed his success to not being “trapped by polls” and avoiding leaks as he made the attack on California Governor Gavin Newsom on his home turf in “anti-woke” remarks that bore his signature. have become.

Florida Governor DeSantis’ remarks focused on policies in California and other liberal states that he claims have led to bleeding among residents who have immigrated to the Sunshine State.

“I know you’re in a lot of trouble here, but your governor is very concerned about what we’re doing in Florida, so I thought I should come over,” DeSantis joked at the top of his Ronald Reagan Library remarks. for an audience of over 1,300.

Newsome has focused specifically on Florida in recent years with DeSantis’ rise to the national spotlight.

DeSantis’ tour of the country to promote his new book, including the stop in California, only fuels speculation that he is getting closer to announcing a presidential candidacy. The governor of Florida will travel to Iowa on Friday, the country’s first electoral state.

Governor DeSantis was joined by his wife Casey DeSantis, eldest daughter Madison, 6, and son Mason, 4, for his remarks in California

The event was sold out and saw DeSantis address a room of about 1,300 people along with a signing of his new memoir The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival

A big focus of the tour is DeSantis getting the chance to present his “blueprint for America” ​​- a perfect tee-up for announcing a presidential run.

“If I tell you I’m going to do something, I’ll do it,” DeSantis insisted to a sold-out audience. “I’m not flapping.”

The Florida Governor was in Simi Valley at the Ronald Reagan Library to promote his new book The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival. He arrived Sunday afternoon with his wife and first lady Casey DeSantis of Florida and their two oldest children Madison, 6, and Mason, 4. Their youngest, Mamie, was not in tow.

DeSantis devoted his speech to issues likely to be the cornerstone of a presidential platform: education and parental rights, not bowing to “awakened” institutions, and tackling rising crime.

“I insult all of these issues,” DeSantis said, claiming that when he first became governor in 2018, he promised “to leave no meat on that bone.”

He also attributed much of his success to his team, claiming that he ran a tight ship that avoided leaks and didn’t focus too much on responding to polls.

“I have never looked at a single poll in my entire time as governor. A leader is not caught in polls. A leader will help shape and guide the public’s opinion,” DeSantis said.

“Don’t worry about the polls, don’t worry about the daily news cycle,” he added.

The GOP leader took aim at his Democratic counterpart in California Governor Gavin Newsom, saying, “I know you have a lot of trouble here, but your governor is very concerned about what we are doing in Florida, so I thought I had . come’

From left: Madison DeSantis, 6; first lady Casey DeSantis; Mason DeSantis, 4; and Governor Ron DeSantis hold their hands on their hearts as they recite the Pledge of Allegiance at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California on Sunday, March 5, 2023

DeSantis said this mindset led him to go from a win by just 32,000 votes — or 0.4 percent — in 2018 to a win by a whopping 1.5 million votes in 2022 for Republican-turned-Democrat Charlie Crist .

“My view was that I may have earned 50 percent of the vote, but I earned 100 percent of the executive,” he said.

As for his team, DeSantis said he made sure he was surrounded by people who supported his vision.

‘We understood that we had to have good staff in the administration. I’ve made the law clear: If you have an agenda other than the interests of the people of Florida and supporting what we were elected to do, then pack your bags and leave, because we won’t tolerate that.”

“And for four years you haven’t seen our records leak like a sieve,” he said. “You haven’t seen much drama or palace visits.”

“What you saw was precision surgical execution day after day after day and because we did that, we beat the left day after day after day.”