OPINION: This article contains commentary which may reflect the author’s opinion
In a recent interview with James Golden, who’s known as Bo Snerdley, an independent radio host with his own ‘Rush Hour’ and Saturday morning radio shows on WABC in New York, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis answered whether he is “ready to answer the call” if asked to run for president.
In his remarks, the popular Republican politician offered his thoughts on what he believes will be beneficial for the GOP moving forward. After noting that they have known each other “for many, many years,” DeSantis described Golden as a “good friend” before the former Rush Limbaugh producer began talking about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Golden pointed out that DeSantis had taken a lot of grief in opposition to plans to close down Florida and that that had been a “rough time” for him, and asked him what led him to make a decision that few others were willing to make – a decision that ultimately proved to be correct, he added.
“Well, one we were just following the evidence and the data and I think a lot of what was happening at the time was hysteria,” DeSantis replied. “I think the media was trying to weaponize Covid to defeat Donald Trump and I also think they were making it very partisan to attack Republican governors. I was the number one target, but they were attacking other Republican governors as well.”
“Keeping kids in schools” was cited by DeSantis as a key factor that showed to be necessary, and he noted that Florida did not suffer financially as many blue states did as a consequence of “lock-down governors.”
Moreover, he said that Florida has a “much healthier” society that is less fear-driven and he claimed tpo Golden that the Sunshine State ranked first in “net in-migration” in the whole country.
“If people had listened to the media, then they’d be fleeing to California and Illinois. Instead, they’re fleeing to the state of Florida because it’s a free state,” DeSantis said.
As the conversation shifted to DeSantis taking on Disney after the family entertainment giant went all in with the radical left to oppose a law that banned sexual instruction for students in grades K-3, even promising to fight to overturn the law, Golden asked the governor if Disney CEO Bob Chapek had reached out to him as he publicly claimed he intended to do.
According to DeSantis, he has not heard from Chapek, but he did speak with the executive prior to the company taking action, telling him not to get involved and that “it would be a huge mistake for them to get involved.”
“How do you say that you are going to have the hill to die on to be Florida’s parental rights bill, that basically says parents can send their kid to kindergarten without having woke gender ideology shoved down their throats,” he said, before noting that Disney makes a “fortune” doing business in China and other areas where there are blatant human rights abuses.
He has expressed that his greatest source of irritation was Disney’s vow to repeal the law.
“I think it’s very important for our state that our state is governed by the best interests of the people in Florida, that it’s not governed by some Burbank, California-based corporation that has close ties to the CCP (Chines Communist Party),” DeSantis said.
In addition, he noted that as the father of three small children, the Zoom videos that showed Disney officials talking about injecting sexuality into their programming – or “queerness” in their words – is particularly troubling and that while the company is free to do as it pleases, Florida does not have to fund it with taxpayer dollars.
There was also a discussion about school choice in Florida and how parents have “meaningful choices” when it comes to education and that it has had a positive impact on public schools.
However, Golden was not going to let the interview reach its conclusion without making a subtle reference to the 2024 presidential election.
“If the voters of the United States say they want Ron DeSantis as their president are you ready to answer the call?” he asked.
As a candidate for reelection in November, DeSantis reminded Golden that he was prepared to answer that call.
“But I will say this, all I have done is do my job,” he added. “And so now I’m known in a lot of these other states — it’s very rare for a governor to be known like this — and so I think though that it’s a lesson for other Republicans to lead, be on offense. Get in front of issues, get things done and people respond.”
He emphasized the importance of winning in November and that it “will really be a signal nationally to say the Republican Party does best when you’re on offense, when you’re winning. When you’re not worried about what the media says about you, when you’re actually standing for voters. And that’s what we’ve done from the time I became governor until now, and that’s what we’re going to keep doing.”
Source: The Republic Brief