Florida Governor Ron DeSantis laughed when asked if his trip to Iowa is the “first indication” that he is pondering 2024 aspirations for the presidency. DeSantis continued to maintain that his trip’s motive was to sell books.
“It’s the first indication that we have got a great book that people are buying,” said DeSantis in an interview. “We had a lot of interest.”
The Florida governor traveled to the crucial Republican primary state, Iowa, on Friday, where he met with Governor Kim Reynolds and other local officials; DeSantis promoted his new book while promoting his strong record in Florida as a blueprint for the nation. The governor’s new book, The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Survival, hit the book market last month.
“THANK YOU, IOWA! Together, Iowa and Florida are leading the way for a freer and safer nation… …And we’re just getting started,” DeSantis tweeted Sunday, along with a video that recapped the trip.
Even while promoting the trip, DeSantis continued to be evasive about his possible presidential run, featuring visits to Des Moines and Davenport. The Florida governor is scheduled to visit New Hampshire, Nevada, and possibly South Dakota in the next few weeks.
“Your Governor, Kim Reynolds, is a friend of mine, and I often tell people when they asked me in Florida, you know who else has done a good job, and I always say, you look what Iowa has done,” said DeSantis. “We got a great response across two different cities.”
DeSantis continues to downplay a possible 2024 run
DeSantis has long played down any presidential speculation and emphasized that he hasn’t taken any steps to run. “Have you ever seen me go to Iowa or any of these places,” DeSantis asked.
Last week, Governor DeSantis gave his state of the state address to start the legislature’s session, where he is aiming to push through a far-reaching agenda. The governor indicated prior that after the state legislature concludes its session in May, he can consider a 2024 presidential bid.
Currently, Governor DeSantis is polling in second place in a hypothetical Republican presidential 2024 field, following former President Donald Trump.
DeSantis ranted against the “woke ideology” that “infected” the institutions of America, including health care, business, and education.
“There’s certain little enclaves in our country that may be popular,” DeSantis said a crowd numbering in the hundreds on Friday morning. “But it’s not popular with the vast majority of people, And I think it showed. From what we showed in Florida, not only can you have a good agenda and deliver, you can make big inroads with the electorate. And that’s exactly what we did. To go from a 32,000 to 1.5 million (vote) margin, it doesn’t happen by accident.”
