‘Don’t Tread On Florida’: Ron DeSantis Tells Ben Shapiro How He Turned Florida Into The Freedom State

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis In a broad-ranging interview this week, he discussed his memoir, Surviving Yale and Harvard Law and how he helped bring Texas’s style swagger into the Sunshine State. Ben Shapiro is the Daily Wire Editor Emeritus.

Shapiro was interviewed at an event hosted in Hallandale Beach by the Republican Jewish Coalition to discuss Governor Rick Scott’s new book, “The Book”.Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival: The Courage to be Free: Florida’s BlueprintThe book became the #1 bestseller on Amazon in a matter of minutes.

Shapiro was told by DeSantis that he ran for governor in spite of serving in Congress. He believed the Republicans would lose control of Congress in 2018. DeSantis also stated that he felt he could deliver more results for the conservative agenda from an executive post. DeSantis stated that his victory margin in the gubernatorial race was 32,000 votes, but it increased to over 1.5 million votes last year. This is proof that he is focused and determined to deliver results.

DeSantis then discussed how he delivered the results to Floridans, noting that “personnel is policy” In order to maximize effectiveness, elected officials should choose people who share their mission. DeSantis claimed that his staff was told they wouldn’t leak or talk to media without authorization. After a few firings, his administration continued to have no leaks throughout his first term.

DeSantis commented on his family’s background and how the values instilled in him at his home led him to two top American academic institutions. Both are hard Left. The experience also strengthened his ability fight against the establishment in D.C., as well as the political swamp in Tallahassee.

“I’m one of the few people in this country that went through both Yale and Harvard and came out more conservative than when he went in,” DeSantis said. “And that’s not easy to do. And if I can do that, there’s no way the swamp is going to change me.”

After graduating from Harvard Law School at Yale and Harvard, DeSantis joined the U.S. Military after the September 11th attacks. DeSantis said in a Fox News interview that he did NOT get any education through the service, but that he was obligated to his country by signing up. He was a JAG officer in Iraq during the heights of the U.S. War on Terror.

DeSantis claimed that once elected to Congress, he was determined to deliver on his promises. So he worked hard, slept in his office on a couch, and lived a life of luxury. “boring existence” in D.C. — avoiding parties and other pitfalls that members of Congress often fall into.

“I sold all my stocks before I got into office, because you know, I used to trade stocks as a hobby,” DeSantis said. “These congressmen are trading stocks, they’re making money and you wonder how they’re getting that advice. … Obviously, it’s made me poor as a result of that, but we didn’t do it. And then, you know, I didn’t accept the congressional pension, these guys get a pension after only a few years, you wouldn’t be able to get that in the private sector. And so we said ‘no’ on that.”

“And I think that I proved to my constituents that I was a citizen going up there to try to do what they wanted me to do, but I wasn’t going to play the game,” DeSantis continued. “Now, on the flip side of that, when you don’t play the game, you don’t have as many opportunities. They’re not going to let you run bills … you’re not going to end up being the chairman of a committee, you’re not gonna end up being in the leadership. That’s just the reality.”

DeSantis then moved on to talking about how Florida’s coronavirus response made it a place that was considered safe and secure.

DeSantis pointed out that President Dwight Eisenhower in his farewell address to him warned of several things. One of them was the “intermingling of federal money with scientific research.”

“And he said there’s a danger that given that public policy itself could be taken captive by what he termed ‘a scientific technological elite,'” DeSantis said. “And he stated that this would not be good news for the country because they have a narrow view of what they want to accomplish. It really falls on the elected leader