52-416: Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other Ronald Dion DeSantis ( / d ɪ ˈ s æ n t ɪ s , d iː -/ ; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician serving since 2019 as the 46th governor of Florida . A member of
104-506: A B.A. , magna cum laude . After Yale, DeSantis taught history and coached for a year at Darlington School in Georgia, then attended Harvard Law School , graduating in 2005 with a Juris Doctor , cum laude . At Harvard, he was business manager for the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy . In 2004, during his second year at Harvard Law, DeSantis was commissioned as an officer in
156-737: A "0" rating from the Human Rights Campaign on LGBT -related legislation. Two years later, he told the Sun Sentinel that he "doesn't want any discrimination in Florida, I want people to be able to live their life, whether you're gay or whether you're religious." DeSantis was present before the June 2017 congressional baseball shooting , and the perpetrator asked him whether the players were Republicans. Later that summer, DeSantis proposed legislation that would have ended funding by November of that year for
208-499: A "Taxpayer Superhero" in 2015. DeSantis sponsored the Transportation Empowerment Act, which would have transferred much of the responsibility for transportation projects to the states and sharply reduced the federal gas tax . He opposed legislation to require online retailers to collect and pay state sales tax . He voted for the 2017 Trump tax cuts . DeSantis opted not to receive his congressional pension and filed
260-718: A "disastrous gaffe," and quoted an unnamed ally of DeSantis lamenting that afterward, "We were handling Gillum with kid gloves. We can't hit the guy, because we're trying to defend the fact that we're not racist." List of governors of Florida Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 768672322 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Fri, 29 Nov 2024 05:47:49 GMT The Courage to Be Free The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival
312-548: A U.S. representative. He supported a " no budget, no pay " policy for Congress to encourage passage of a budget resolution . DeSantis endorsed the REINS Act , which would have required that regulations significantly affecting the economy be subject to a vote of Congress before taking effect. He also supported auditing the Federal Reserve System . DeSantis supported the 2014 Venezuelan protests , calling them peaceful and
364-558: A bill DeSantis signed in March 2022 to get The Courage to Be Free removed from school curricula. Minority leader Fentrice Driskell told The Daily Beast that she plans to get the book banned in as many as fifty counties, citing the book's use of "divisive content"—such as the words woke and gender ideology—and its reference to a video of "dead black children" and the Congressional baseball shooting . DeSantis spokesperson Bryan Griffin called
416-585: A hard time". By contrast, in Dreams from Our Founding Fathers , he criticizes Barack Obama for executive overreach, accusing Kathleen Sebelius of using her power to "intimidate private businesses for engaging in speech she didn't like". Additionally, DeSantis is critical of other Republicans governing "as corporatists" and campaigning on "free market principles". Although described as a memoir, The Courage to be Free mentions few details of DeSantis's career; for instance, his 2016 United States Senate candidacy bid
468-619: A measure that would eliminate pensions for members of Congress. During the 114th United States Congress , DeSantis served on the Committee on Oversight and Accountability , and chaired its Subcommittee on National Security . He also served on the Foreign Affairs Committee , Judiciary Committee , and the Republican Study Committee , along with several subcommittees of those. On January 5, 2018, DeSantis filed to run for
520-475: A position he held until his honorable discharge from active military duty in 2010. DeSantis was first elected to Congress in 2012 and was reelected in 2014 and 2016 . During his tenure, he became a founding member of the Freedom Caucus and was an ally of President Donald Trump . He briefly ran for U.S. Senate in 2016 but withdrew when incumbent senator Marco Rubio sought reelection. DeSantis won
572-513: A result of Venezuela's " socialist " economic policy. He heavily criticized the Venezuelan government's response to the protests, saying its actions resembled techniques used by Cuban leader Fidel Castro . For alleged IRS targeting of conservatives , DeSantis asked for IRS commissioner John Koskinen 's resignation for having "failed the American people by frustrating Congress's attempts to ascertain
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#1732859269221624-438: A self-described woke ideology. The Courage to Be Free debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list and Amazon 's bestsellers list. Critics noted DeSantis's aversion to mentioning former president Donald Trump and a reliance on words such as "woke" and "elite". DeSantis's subsequent book tour following the release of the book was seen by political commentators as a precursor to his presidential campaign in
676-548: A socialist agenda with huge tax increases and bankrupting the state." His use of the word "monkey" received widespread media attention, and was interpreted by some, including Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo, as a racist dog whistle alluding to the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Andrew Gillum , who is African-American. DeSantis denied the racism charge. Dexter Filkins , writing in The New Yorker in 2022, called it
728-436: A state constitutional amendment to require a supermajority vote for any tax increases. DeSantis opposed allowing able-bodied, childless adults to receive Medicaid . He said he would implement a medical cannabis program, while opposing the legalization of recreational cannabis. The day after his primary win, in a televised Fox News interview, DeSantis said, "The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up by trying to embrace
780-540: Is a non-fiction book authored by Florida governor Ron DeSantis and published by HarperCollins in 2023. A self-described memoir, The Courage to Be Free is DeSantis's second book, following Dreams from Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama (2011). The Courage to be Free outlines DeSantis's political philosophy and positions . DeSantis criticizes what he calls the " woke agenda", "the elite", and public health measures , including school closures during
832-443: Is omitted. The book briefly covers DeSantis's enjoyment of baseball and his working-class parents, though it presents his time at Yale University with scorn for the student body's "unbridled leftism". Mentioned in the book is DeSantis's political philosophy, including an overhaul of the federal government, such as reclassifying federal employees such that the president could fire them at will. DeSantis promotes his efforts to relocate
884-528: The 2016 United States Senate election in Florida . He ran for the seat held by Marco Rubio , who initially did not file to run for reelection due to his 2016 presidential campaign . DeSantis was endorsed by the Koch Brothers' fiscally conservative Club for Growth, which had previously supported his U.S. House campaign. When Rubio ended his presidential bid and ran for reelection to the Senate, DeSantis withdrew from
936-763: The 2022 gubernatorial election , he defeated former governor Charlie Crist by 19.4 percentage points , the state's largest margin of victory for a governor's election in 40 years . On May 24, 2023, DeSantis announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president of the United States , and he continued to serve as governor during the campaign. On January 21, 2024, DeSantis withdrew his presidential candidacy and endorsed Trump. DeSantis has written two books: Dreams From Our Founding Fathers , published before his first campaign for Congress in 2011, and The Courage to Be Free , published in 2023. Ronald Dion DeSantis
988-518: The 2024 United States presidential election . In The Courage to Be Free , Ron DeSantis attacks what he calls "the elite" and the " woke agenda ", which he calls "a war on the truth" and "a form of cultural Marxism ". DeSantis specifically names Anthony Fauci and claims that public health measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic were "heavy-handed". Throughout the book, DeSantis shows contempt for other institutions, including legacy media ,
1040-595: The Democratic Party (described as a "woke dumpster fire"), and Big Tech . Regarding Donald Trump , DeSantis avoids mentioning Trump's presidency , although indirectly bemoans him for perceived inaction; "Here we had a unified Republican government for the first time in more than a decade, and yet so much of the time was frittered away on matters like the conspiracy theory that Donald Trump's campaign had colluded with Russia , which GOP-led committees investigated for two years". The Walt Disney Company 's opposition to
1092-647: The Florida Parental Rights in Education Act is detailed in the chapter "The Magic Kingdom of Woke Corporatism", writing about his wedding at Disney World and touting his abolition of the Reedy Creek Improvement Act . On the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida , DeSantis advocates for a relaxed position on businesses and schools, and suggests the United States government should investigate the origin of COVID-19 . DeSantis blames Richard Corcoran ,
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#17328592692211144-601: The Guantanamo Bay detention camp . The publicly released records of his service in the Navy were redacted, with the Navy citing a personal-privacy exception to the Freedom of Information Act . Mansur Ahmad Saad al-Dayfi , who was held at Guantanamo, alleged in 2022 that DeSantis oversaw force-feeding detainees and DeSantis acknowledged that he advised the commander of the base about the use of force feeding. In 2007, DeSantis reported to
1196-501: The Mueller investigation of President Trump. He said that the May 17, 2017, order that initiated the probe "didn't identify a crime to be investigated" and was likely to start a fishing expedition . DeSantis supports a constitutional amendment to impose term limits on members of Congress, so that U.S. representatives would be limited to three terms and senators to two. He served three terms in
1248-869: The Naval Special Warfare Command Group in Coronado, California , where he was assigned as a legal adviser to SEAL Team One ; he deployed to Iraq in the fall of 2007 as part of the troop surge . He served as legal adviser to Dane Thorleifson, the SEAL Commander of the Special Operations Task Force-West in Fallujah . DeSantis returned to the U.S. in April 2008, reassigned to the Naval Region Southeast Legal Service. He
1300-623: The Republican Party , he served as the U.S. Representative from Florida's 6th congressional district from 2013 to 2018. DeSantis was a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination , withdrawing his candidacy in January 2024. Born in Jacksonville , DeSantis spent most of his childhood in Dunedin, Florida . He graduated from Yale University and Harvard Law School . DeSantis joined
1352-586: The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California , protesters gathered outside the entrance. DeSantis's book tour was seen by contemporary political commentators as positioning towards a potential bid for president in the 2024 United States presidential election ; DeSantis ended up announcing his decision to run in May 2023. The Courage to Be Free was published on February 28, 2023, in hardcover format by HarperCollins under
1404-602: The U.S. Navy and assigned to the Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG). He completed Naval Justice School in 2005. Later that year, he reported to the JAG Trial Service Office Command South East at Naval Station Mayport , Florida, as a prosecutor . He was promoted from lieutenant, junior grade to lieutenant in 2006. In the spring of 2006, DeSantis arrived at Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO), working with detainees at
1456-487: The U.S. Navy in 2004 and was promoted to lieutenant before serving as a legal advisor to SEAL Team One . He was stationed at Joint Task Force Guantanamo in 2006 and was deployed to Iraq in 2007 . When DeSantis returned to the U.S. about eight months later, the U.S. attorney general appointed DeSantis to serve as a special assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Middle District of Florida ,
1508-533: The 12.4% Social Security payroll tax ; he also cosponsored a measure to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits. According to PolitiFact , it is "half true" that DeSantis voted to cut Social Security and Medicare and voted to increase the retirement age, because those votes were on non-binding resolutions that would not have become law even if passed, and because the objective was to stabilize those social programs to avoid steeper cuts later. Conservative think tank Citizens Against Government Waste named DeSantis
1560-587: The Age of Obama (2011), DeSantis argues for more executive power, boasting his use of the veto to control Florida's House of Representatives and Senate , and rejecting the Freedom Caucus 's position on a small government , of which DeSantis was a member. DeSantis justifies his use of executive power to police "private institutions [that] wield an enormous amount of power over society", and quotes himself telling Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White that he would "overrule any mayor that gives [the UFC]
1612-553: The Broadside Books imprint. Broadside Books had previously published books by other conservative political figures, including Jared Kushner 's political memoir Breaking History: A White House Memoir (2022). The book debuted at number 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list and Amazon 's bestsellers list. According to Broadside Books, the publisher printed 250,000 hardcover copies of The Courage to Be Free . Several weeks after its release, Florida Democrats attempted to use
Ron DeSantis - Misplaced Pages Continue
1664-490: The COVID-19 pandemic . He references The Walt Disney Company and the company's response to the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act , devoting an entire chapter to the topic. The Courage to Be Free marks a departure from his previous book; whereas Dreams from Our Founding Fathers criticized Barack Obama for executive overreach, DeSantis defends his use of executive powers to counteract corporations he believes adhere to
1716-547: The House of Representatives, retiring in 2018 to run for governor of Florida. DeSantis said that the debate over how to reduce the federal deficit should shift emphasis from tax increases to curtailing spending and triggering economic growth. He is a past supporter of replacing the federal income tax and the IRS with a federal sales tax called the FairTax , by cosponsoring legislation to do so as
1768-584: The Republican nomination for the 2018 gubernatorial election and narrowly defeated the Democratic Party nominee, Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum , in the general election by 0.4%. DeSantis was governor during the COVID-19 pandemic , as well as during Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole . He encouraged the passage of the Parental Rights in Education Act and the Heartbeat Protection Act . In
1820-476: The Republican primary, defeating his main opponent, Adam Putnam . DeSantis's gubernatorial platform included support for legislation that would allow people with concealed weapons permits to carry firearms openly . He also supported a law mandating the use of E-Verify by businesses and a state-level ban on sanctuary city protections for undocumented immigrants. DeSantis promised to stop the spread of polluted water from Lake Okeechobee . He expressed support for
1872-563: The Senate race, instead running for reelection to the House. DeSantis signed a 2013 " No Climate Tax Pledge " against any tax hikes to fight global warming . He voted in favor of H.R. 45 , which would have repealed the Affordable Care Act in 2013. DeSantis introduced a bill in 2014 that would have required the Justice Department to report to Congress whenever any federal agency refrained from enforcing laws. In 2015, DeSantis
1924-619: The U.S. after being removed. DeSantis encouraged Florida sheriffs to cooperate with the federal government on immigration-related issues. In 2016, DeSantis introduced the Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act, which would have allowed states to create their own accreditation systems. He said this legislation would also give students "access to federal loan money to put towards non-traditional educational opportunities, such as online learning courses, vocational schools, and apprenticeships in skilled trades". In 2016, DeSantis received
1976-658: The United States Embassy of Israel to Jerusalem and combat Chinese influence in Florida. The Courage to Be Free was announced by HarperCollins on November 30, 2022, following rumors that DeSantis may write a memoir. Prior to The Courage to Be Free , DeSantis wrote Dreams from Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama (2011), using the Constitution to rebuke the presidency of Barack Obama . The book references Obama's memoir Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (1995). Prior to
2028-459: The book's release, an excerpt was published in the New York Post ; additionally, two authorized leaks regarding DeSantis's relationship with former president Donald Trump and a private phone call DeSantis had with Bob Chapek , the former CEO of The Walt Disney Company were published on Fox News . To promote the book, DeSantis made several stops across the United States. At one such event at
2080-564: The first Italian diaspora . His parents and all of his grandparents were born and grew up in Western Pennsylvania and Northeast Ohio. DeSantis's mother worked as a nurse and his father installed Nielsen TV -rating boxes . They met while attending Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio , during the 1970s and moved to Jacksonville, Florida, during that decade. His family then moved to Orlando, Florida , before relocating when he
2132-483: The move a "stunt". In a review for The New York Times , Jennifer Szalai criticized the memoir for being filled with bland platitudes and culture war " Mad Libs ". She noted DeSantis's shifting political philosophy from libertarianism to social conservatism , suggesting that DeSantis's attempts to portray himself as a courageous leader are undermined by his support for restrictive policies. Additionally, Szalai criticized DeSantis's "bullying sense of superiority" and
Ron DeSantis - Misplaced Pages Continue
2184-497: The office of governor to replace term-limited Republican incumbent Rick Scott . President Trump had said the previous month that he would support DeSantis should he run for governor. During the Republican primary, DeSantis emphasized his support for Trump by running an ad in which DeSantis taught his children how to "build the wall" and say "Make America Great Again". Asked whether he could name an issue on which he disagreed with Trump, DeSantis declined. On August 28, 2018, DeSantis won
2236-498: The other co-founders billed as "the only LSAT prep courses designed exclusively by Harvard Law School graduates". DeSantis also worked as a litigator at the Miami-based law firm Holland & Knight before running for Congress in 2012. In 2012 , DeSantis ran for the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 6th congressional district . During his campaign, he aligned himself with the conservative Tea Party movement . His campaign
2288-553: The state's education commissioner during the pandemic, for shutting schools down, and states that he "prodded" Corcoran to open schools back up, based on data from Sweden and South Korea . Additionally, he criticizes Fauci for the federal government's response to the pandemic , suggesting that the models used by the White House Coronavirus Task Force were overexaggerated. In comparison to his previous book, Dreams from Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in
2340-491: The truth." He cosponsored a bill to impeach Koskinen for violating the public's trust. DeSantis criticized IRS employee Lois Lerner and asked that she testify to Congress. In 2014, DeSantis introduced the Let Seniors Work Act, the companion of a similar bill introduced by Marco Rubio in the Senate. The bill would have repealed an incentive to retire instead of keep working and would have exempted those above 65 from
2392-673: Was a founding member of the Freedom Caucus , a group of congressional conservatives and libertarians. DeSantis opposes gun control and received repeated "A" ratings from the NRA Political Victory Fund . He has said, "Very rarely do firearms restrictions affect criminals. They really only affect law-abiding citizens." DeSantis was a critic of Obama's immigration policies, including deferred action legislation ( DACA and DAPA ), accusing Obama of failing to enforce immigration laws. In 2015 he co-sponsored Kate's Law , which would have increased penalties for aliens who unlawfully reenter
2444-528: Was appointed to serve as a special assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Middle District of Florida . DeSantis was assigned as a trial defense counsel until his honorable discharge from active duty in February 2010. He concurrently accepted a reserve commission as a lieutenant in the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the U.S. Navy Reserve . During his military career, DeSantis
2496-619: Was awarded the Bronze Star Medal , the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal , the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal , and the Iraq Campaign Medal . His Navy Reserve service ended in February 2019, a month after his gubernatorial inauguration, with the rank of lieutenant commander . With two law-school friends, DeSantis founded an LSAT test-prep company , LSAT Freedom, that one of
2548-420: Was born on September 14, 1978, in Jacksonville, Florida , to parents Karen DeSantis (née Rogers) and Ronald Daniel DeSantis. His middle name, Dion, honors the singer Dion DiMucci , and his family name has different pronunciations. His mother's family name, Rogers, was chosen by her grandfather (née Ruggiero) upon immigrating from Italy . All of DeSantis's great-grandparents immigrated from Southern Italy during
2600-537: Was captain of Yale's varsity baseball team ; he played outfield, and as a senior in 2001 he had the team's best batting average at .336. DeSantis was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and of the St. Elmo Society , one of Yale's secret societies . While attending Yale, he worked a variety of jobs, including as an electrician's assistant and a coach at a baseball camp. DeSantis graduated from Yale in 2001 with
2652-575: Was financially supported by the Koch Brothers ' organizations FreedomWorks and Club for Growth . U.S. Senator Mike Lee and former United Nations ambassador John Bolton helped DeSantis campaign and raise money. In August, DeSantis defeated six candidates in the Republican primary and then defeated Democratic nominee Heather Beaven in the November general election. He was reelected in 2014 and 2016 . In May 2015, DeSantis announced his candidacy for
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#17328592692212704-640: Was six years old to the city of Dunedin in Florida's Tampa Bay area . His only sibling, younger sister Christina, died in 2015 at age 30 from a pulmonary embolism . He was a member of the Dunedin National team that made it to the 1991 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania . DeSantis attended Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School and Dunedin High School , graduating in 1997. After high school, DeSantis studied history at Yale University . He
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