EXCLUSIVE: Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis revealed his proposal to “Make America Florida” in his new book, saying it will require “successfully combating a lot of powerful, elite institutions” in the pursuit of freedom.
DeSantis, who has not officially announced a 2024 presidential run but is widely considered a likely candidate, is releasing his new memoir, “The Courage to be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for American Revival,” on Tuesday by publisher HarperCollins.
The book, shared exclusively with Fox News Digital, detailed DeSantis’ approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, which often contradicted guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and was the frequent target of liberal backlash. The governor argued in the book that the attacks were a “price worth paying” for exercising leadership.
“A governor who leads by aggressively pursuing policies that defy the leftist ideology of the nation’s elites will face fire—not only by the legacy media but also from activist groups, Big Tech, and corporate America,” he wrote. “When I took strong stands against the prevailing narrative on draconian coronavirus policies, I may have been vilified by the usual suspects, but I was able to save the livelihoods of millions of people throughout Florida.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gives a victory speech after defeating Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Charlie Crist during his election night watch party at the Tampa Convention Center on November 8, 2022, in Tampa, Florida. (Octavio Jones)
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DeSantis said the political battles he’s fought in Florida are not merely about policy but about “our foundational principles” as Americans.
“The right path forward is not difficult to identify; it just requires using basic common sense and applying core American values to the problems of the day,” he continued. “But it will not be easy to achieve. It will require successfully combating a lot of powerful, elite institutions that have driven the country into a cycle of repeated failures.”
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, waves with his wife Casey and their children Mason, left, Madison, center, and Mamie, right, as he does a run through in preparation for his inauguration on Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, at the Old Capitol, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP )
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“The divisions in our society are not merely about different policy preferences regarding taxes, regulations, and welfare, but about our foundational principles,” he wrote. “The battles we have fought in Florida—from defeating the biomedical security state to stifling woke corporations to fighting indoctrination in schools—strike at the heart of what it means to be a Floridian and an American.”
DeSantis’ book follows a Fox News poll showing former President Donald Trump leading the pack of announced and potential 2024 presidential candidates with 43% of the vote, followed by DeSantis at 28%, Nikki Haley and Mike Pence at 7% each, and Greg Abbott and Liz Cheney at 2% each.
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