With Biden celebrating his 81st birthday and Trump turning 78 next June, Governor De Santis is concerned that if either man is elected, he would be making history by being the oldest man ever inaugurated.
“We need energy in the executive. We need some vitality. We need some spunk in Washington if we’re going to turn this ship around. I’m somebody who can provide that, and I can do it for two terms.”
In an interview with WGIR’s Chris Ryan, the Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, talks about his campaign strategy in the New Hampshire Primary and beyond; discusses the age factor if Biden or Trump are the two nominees; questions reasons why polls show Trump beating Biden; explains how he would find ways to appeal to young women voters, despite being pro-life; if elected, he outlines how he would choose a running mate, organize his cabinet, make appointments, and be ready to present his legislative and policy agenda in the first one hundred days; assesses if the campaign experience has met his expectations; and describers a DeSantis Family Thanksgiving for 2023.
Governor DeSantis plans on spending a great deal of time in Iowa and New Hampshire in the next few months. His goal is to win and amass as many delegates as possible. He expects that his chances will improve after the Iowa Caucus, as the field will narrow when some candidates drop out.
Recent polls which show President Trump narrowly defeating President Biden are called into question by Governor DeSantis.
“If Trump were to become the nominee, those numbers would flip immediately. The media is trying to create a narrative. One, they want the Democrats to replace Biden because they think that Biden is weak. They want the Republicans to nominate Trump because they know that he is the candidate that they can beat.”
Governor DeSantis projects that the 2024 elections will become a referendum on Donald Trump instead of a referendum on Biden and Democrat record. All Republican candidates will be in a box having to respond to various aspects of the numerous court cases.
The abortion issue is potentially an area of weakness with women voters for Republican candidates. Governor DeSantis feels that he can overcome being pro-life. He points to the fact that he was able to get 50% of single women voters by being strong on other issues, like education and crime, which are also important to women.
If he is elected President of the United States, Ron DeSantis plans on hitting the beach running on day one, with a list of executive orders and legislative proposals, and a full compliment of cabinet and agency appointments. He also plans on staying on offense with a constant barrage of activity to keep the Democrats and the media unable to keep up.
Governor DeSantis says that he hasn’t given much thought to choosing a running mate, but he would want someone who is ready to be President. He would lean toward a person has been a governor because they have so much more executive experience a Senator.
Anyone that he appoints must broadly share the same governing philosophy. However, President DeSantis does want people in cabinet posts with diverse ideas and are willing to stand up to him.
Additionally, he wants an Attorney General and Secretary of Defense with lots of backbone because they are going to be making changes that the media and the Washington establishment will not like and there will be lots of push back.
So far, Governor DeSantis is not surprised about the stresses of the electoral process. His treatment by the media has been as expected and he has enjoyed hearing from the voters on the campaign trail.
With his wife and three children campaigning in Iowa and the Governor on the trail in New Hampshire, the DeSantis Family is looking forward to spending time together in Tallahassee, Florida for Thanksgiving, and the next few days.