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On Friday, the first day of Turning Point USA’s annual Student Action Summit (SAS) 2022 conference was held in Tampa, Florida, and Republican Governor Ron DeSantis used his remarks to highlight his administration’s efforts to keep Floridians’ freedoms intact during the pandemic, protect parents’ rights over their children’s education, and prevent indoctrination in schools.
DeSantis, who closed the opening day as the featured guest, began his speech by welcoming the “free state of Florida” emphasizing that his state “leads on all the big issues of the day.”
“We stood up, over the last two years, against the corporate media, against bureaucrats like Fauci, and against Brandon himself,” the Republican said, referring to President Biden. “To keep the state of Florida open, to protect people’s jobs, to save businesses, we rejected mandates for Covid jabs.”
In an account of his policies during the pandemic, the governor emphasized that he prevented citizens from being forced to be vaccinated against their will and that he refused to “bow down to Lord Fauci” by keeping schools open, prioritizing children’s education over the restrictions pushed by the federal government.
In a jocular tone, DeSantis said that in Florida they are “a good example of how to run a government,” and compared their policies directly to those of Washington DC and other Democratic states like New York.
“The state of New York has three million fewer people than we do, and their budget is twice the size of our budget,” he highlighted. “And yet we have better roads, better services, higher-performing K-12 schools, and the number one rated public university system in the country.”
He added that they accomplish all of that with no income tax and one of the lowest tax burdens in the United States, and that, even so, their $102 billion budget produced a $22 billion surplus, “the largest in the history of the state of Florida.”
In a categorical manner and with the results of his administration to back him up, DeSantis said Biden came in “blundering in” since he took office in 2021, printing “trillions and trillions of dollars” against the recommendation of economists and “declaring war on American energy.”
“You guys will have to explain to me: how is it that it’s bad to do our own energy here, but it’s okay to fistbump the saudis or beg for Venezuelan oil? That doesn’t make any sense to me,” the governor assured. “Their war on American energy is hurting Americans of every race, color, creed, every income level, and it’s helping to fuel the worst inflation that we’ve seen in over 40 years.”
The Republican said Biden’s “failed leadership” has “created or exacerbated” the majority of the country’s “most pressing” problems.
He went on to criticize immigration policy, highlighting the seriousness of drug trafficking and human trafficking on the southern border, and suggesting the Democratic president’s inability to solve problems.
Finally, DeSantis said Florida will lead a “red wave” in the November midterms, and assured that then will be the time for “America fights back” against the Democratic left.
Tomás Lugo
Daniel is a Political Science and Economics student from the University of South Florida. He worked as a congressional intern to Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) from January to May 2020. He also is the head of international analysis at Politiks // Daniel es un estudiante de Cs Políticas y Economía en la Universidad del Sur de la Florida. Trabajo como pasante legislativo para el Representate Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) desde enero hasta mayo del 2020. Daniel también es el jefe de análisis internacional de Politiks.