Gov. Ron DeSantis shut down allegations he is an “establishment Republican,” giving Newsmax host Eric Bolling a list of what he’s done in Florida to prove his conservative credentials.
“What do you tell the folks, the Trump voters who say Ron DeSantis is lining up with the establishment wing of the party, the Karl Roves, the Paul Ryans over at Fox, and they’re very concerned about that,” Bolling asked.
"I have not spoken to Paul Ryan since I’ve been governor. I've met Karl Rove once in my life. They are not involved in my political operation so that’s just manufactured garbage that people put out there online,” he responded.
“You also look at my record,” DeSantis continued. “How many establishment Republicans would have sent illegal aliens to Martha's Vineyard? How many establishment Republicans would have stood up against Disney? How many establishment Republicans would have signed the bill that I just signed to ban land purchases from people affiliated with the CCP in the state of Florida? We're now being sued by the ACLU for that. How many establishment Republicans would have leaned in to support our children against the pronoun Olympics. We banned the pronoun Olympics in our schools were the first state to do that. How many establishment Republicans would have banned gender transition surgeries for minors? We not only would take the doctor’s medical license, we’ll put the doctor in jail if they’re mutilating minors. So, on every issue, the kind of the old guard of the Republican Party would have shied away from in a New York minute, I’m not only leaning into them, I’m winning against the media and the left. We say Florida is the place where woke goes to die because we’ve defeated the left on all these fronts. And my pledge if I’m elected president after two terms we will leave woke ideology in the dustbin of history.”
This Ron DeSantis counterpunch to the label "establishment Republican" is pure gold:
— Scott Morefield (@SKMorefield) May 26, 2023
"How many establishment Republicans would have sent illegal aliens to Martha's Vineyard? How many establishment Republicans would have stood up against Disney? How many establishment Republicans… pic.twitter.com/pzFBK6fJN7
The full interview, where DeSantis addresses his rocky presidential rollout on Twitter and how he and Trump differ on policies, among other questions, is available below.
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