The Republican stated that protecting Floridians meant making sure that "the left is not able to impose their agenda on them through corporate America, through bureaucracy, through universities." He added that we must recognize that the left is trying to impose its agenda through all of our social arteries, including corporate America.
DeSantis specifically cited the governor's signing of legislation last month that returned control of the 44-square-mile theme park to the state, reining in entertainment conglomerate Disney after it had controlled Walt Disney World as a self-governing corporation for 60 years. He explained that when Disney attempted to scuttle his Parental Rights in Education Bill, it was his duty to correct them.
DeSantis asserted that the crux of the dispute with Disney was who controls Florida's government. "I believe they believed they were in charge for 60 years. There's a new sheriff in town, but we still make all the decisions, as we made quite clear.
DeSantis contends in his recently released book, "The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Restoration," that he was "willing to lead" in shaping the "Florida miracle" rather than relying on polls and public opinion, and that he could do the same nationally.
He insisted that "when you lead and people know where you stand and you provide outcomes, they don't even have to agree with you all the time, they'll appreciate that and they know they can count on you," saying that "a leader's not a hostage by polls, a leader leads and changes public opinion."
DeSantis' strategy has resulted in the highest victory margin for a Republican governor—1.5 million votes—up from 30,000 in the 2018 race. Similarly, between 2021 and 2022, Florida's population increased 1.9%, the first time since 1957 that the state outpaced all others in population growth.
DeSantis hasn't formally declared his intention to seek the presidency in 2024, but his "book tour" made sure to make two stops in Iowa, the location of the first presidential primary of the election year and one of the most crucial strategic pressure points of any campaign.
DeSantis, on the other hand, was found to be trailing former president Donald Trump in a recent survey, with Trump topping his former apprentice by eight points in a fictitious two-man battle for the GOP nomination.
