He does not want topics such as slavery or homosexuality to be present in school, is against abortion and calls Russian aggression in Ukraine a “territorial dispute with Russia”. What’s in store for America if Ron DeSantis succeeds?
“The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Plan to Reinvent America” is the name of the book that Ron DeSantis presented in March. The message with which the 44-year-old candidate for the presidency of the United States will travel the country in his election campaign is simple – no American governor has done as much for his state as he has. Or as his supporters chant: “DeSantis 2024 – Make America Like Florida.”
DeSantis isn’t the first presidential candidate to publish a book just before the start of his campaign. In fact, it is kind of the perfect cover letter – it tells about his happy childhood in Florida and his passion for baseball, a popular American sport.
His talent as an athlete also opened the door to the prestigious Yale University. His career began as a history teacher, then studied law at Harvard. While studying, he also joined the army, and later began working as a military lawyer at Guantanamo Bay. He was an advisor to the elite US SEAL team in the Iraq war, which earned him several medals.
From Congressman to Governor of Florida
In 2012, DeSantis had already spent two years as a prosecutor and decided to take the plunge into politics. He was a congressman for six years before running for governor of Florida and winning in 2018.
Married and the father of three children, the governor of Florida is at the peak of his popularity in the United States. At the end of 2022, he retained his governorship, although Florida is one of the so-called swing states that do not always vote for one of the two parties.
DeSantis won over voters with sound economic policies, promises of low taxes and open disapproval of all measures against the coronavirus.
DeSantis and Trump are no longer friends
Donald Trump played a key role in empowering DeSantis. Until he realizes that he helped him become his main opponent. Since then, Trump has already insulted and mocked him, calling him ungrateful and hypocritical and threatening to reveal unpleasant things about him.
DeSantis has his own strategy for Trump’s attacks – ignore them and not even mention him in his speeches. The Florida governor wants to shift the focus on himself and present himself as the politician who most represents conservative politics in the US. But without the scandals, chaos and lawsuits. “Trump with a brain,” as some call him.
On the way to the White House, however, he has one big stumbling block – unlike Trump, who brings huge halls and squares to their feet with his speeches, DeSantis is defined as a bad orator.
Opponent of liberal ideas
Ron DeSantis can only hope he doesn’t have to brush up on his public speaking skills. Because he has undertaken a crusade against the so-called Woke culture that fights for the elimination of all discrimination in American society. The governor launched a culture war in Florida and began to push a number of laws in this direction: to stop the questionable Woke culture, against talking about gays or about parents’ rights in education.
If teachers talk to students about homosexuality they risk being fired. Racism and slavery are no longer part of the curriculum – white students may feel personally responsible. Transgender girls are not allowed to compete in women’s sports. If a teacher wants to put a picture of their partner on their desk, they cannot do so if the partner in question is of the same sex.
“Parents send their children to school to learn, not to instill an ideology,” says Ron DeSantis. As a result of his policies, school library shelves were emptied of books on slavery because the school risked being sued.
Also at war with Disney
Ron DeSantis also clashed with entertainment giant Disney, even though one of the company’s popular theme parks is located in Orlando, Florida, and employs 70,000 people in the state. However, the governor decided to take away from Disney the special status that allows them to save taxes, Deutsche Welle writes.
DeSantis also made it so that abortions are now prohibited in Florida after the 15th week of pregnancy — except in special cases. This happened even before the constitutional right to abortion was struck down by the US Supreme Court.
If DeSantis can defeat not only Donald Trump in the Republican primaries, but also Joe Biden afterward, the situation will change dramatically for left-liberal America. And regarding Russian aggression against Ukraine, DeSantis commented to Fox News that it is not “in the national interest” of the United States to “get involved in the territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia.”
