DeSantis claims Hunter Biden would be jailed if he were a Republican.

Gov. Ron DeSantis Kicks Off Presidential Campaign in Iowa

“It is great for me to report that our ‘Great American Comeback’ starts by sending Joe Biden back to his basement in Delaware,” DeSantis told the Clive crowd Tuesday.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) made his first in-person appearance as a presidential candidate in Iowa, and he did not disappoint. The anti-woke governor delivered a red-meat speech covering everything from abortion access to China, receiving multiple standing ovations for his opposition to so-called indoctrination instead of education in Florida’s schools.

DeSantis Takes Aim at Hunter Biden and the Administrative State

One of DeSantis’s loudest applause lines was for his criticism of “an unaccountable, weaponized administrative state that unevenly wields authority, depending on its targets.” He also took a swipe at Hunter Biden, saying, “If Hunter were Republican, he would have been in jail years ago.”

DeSantis Creates Buzz in Iowa

DeSantis has created interest in Iowa, reflected by the parking lot for his launch event being full more than an hour before it was set to start. Roughly 1,000 people were estimated to be in the auditorium, with two overflow rooms nearby.

Iowa is central to DeSantis’s strategy to break former President Donald Trump’s stranglehold on the 2024 Republican nomination, particularly members of the state’s evangelical community who have had to overlook their concerns with Trump. That strategy was underscored Tuesday by DeSantis choosing Eternity Church, a Des Moines suburbs megachurch, for his first event.

DeSantis Outlines Vision for America

DeSantis campaign spokesman Andrew Romeo previewed Tuesday how the governor’s four-day, 12-city tour of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina this week will introduce the public to his vision for America after describing the country as being in “decline” and in need of a “Great American Comeback” in his announcement video.

DeSantis will return to Iowa on Saturday for Sen. Joni Ernst’s (R-IA) annual Roast and Ride fundraiser.

Gov. DeSantis is a strong contender for the Republican nomination, and his record as an anti-woke governor is sure to resonate with voters. While he may have a long way to go to catch up to Trump in the polls, his record-breaking fundraising on the first day of his campaign shows that he has the support of many Americans who are ready for a change.