While Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis toured the nation promoting his new book, “The Courage to Be Free,” many have pointed to his comments written inside that suggest Florida should be used as a “blueprint” for America.
“The Florida Blueprint is a simple formula: be willing to lead, have the courage of your convictions, deliver for your constituents, and reap the political rewards. This is a blueprint for America’s revival. We’ve shown it can be done,” DeSantis wrote in his book.
The Florida Republican is viewed as one of the favorites for the 2024 Republican nominee, even though he has yet to announce he is running.
DeSantis has long shared his pride for the work his administration has done in Florida, and his political memoir continues to highlight what he views as his victories.
“The battles we have fought in Florida — from defeating the biomedical security state to stifling woke corporations to fighting indoctrination in schools — strike at the heart of what it means to be a Floridian and an American,” DeSantis wrote.
The book spotlights several issues DeSantis has addressed as governor, all of which remain a top priority for Republican voters. A poll from The American Principles Project found GOP voters were more focused on cultural issues, like transgender surgeries on minors and public schools, pushing concerns around Social Security and supporting Ukraine to the backseat.
Many have viewed DeSantis’ book tour as a soft launch for his presidential campaign, though those close to him have said he is waiting to announce his decision — either to run or not to — until the Florida legislative session ends.
While DeSantis may be waiting, former President Donald Trump, his main obstacle to winning the nomination, has begun firing shots.
Most recently, Trump released a video criticizing DeSantis, saying that he takes credit for the success of Florida but that he didn’t do anything to help it succeed.
“For those of you that didn’t notice, Florida was doing great long before Ron DeSanctus got there. People are fleeing from New York to Florida and other places because of high taxes and out-of-control crime – it’s really bad – not because of the governor,” Trump remarked in a video on his social media site Truth Social.
He continued, suggesting that even Democrat governors before DeSantis did a better job than he has.
“Sunshine and ocean are very alluring. It’s not too hard to work with those factors. So just remember, Florida was doing really well long before Ron DeSanctus got there,” Trump said.
Trump has maintained that DeSantis only won his seat because he had endorsed him, and DeSantis spoke about the comments from the former president in his new book.
“I do not think Republican primary voters are sheep who simply follow an endorsement from a politician they like without any individual analysis, but I do believe that a major endorsement can put a candidate on the radar of GOP voters in a way that boosts a good candidate’s prospects,” he wrote.
For some time now, DeSantis has appeared to be distancing himself from Trump. Now, with the former president’s ongoing legal trouble, the Florida governor could be ready to jump at the opportunity to cement himself as the Republican favorite.
DeSantis even took time to take a shot at Trump, who maintains he will be arrested this week, during a news conference in Panama City, Florida.
“I don’t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair,” DeSantis said. “I just, I can’t speak to that.”
Continuing his remarks, DeSantis again highlighted his focus on his current position, saying, “I’ve got real issues to deal with here in the state of Florida.”
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