huskynews 
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, nearly declared a presidential candidate, will step up headline-boosting travel and events ahead of an official announcement, travel across the state, and sign a highly conservative bill he introduced. Trying to get national attention. He believes he can push him for the Republican nomination.
On Wednesday, DeSantis said his base would be rewarded with a ban on transsexual care for minors and a ban on children from participating in “live adult performances” such as drag shows, including restricting entry. I signed a number of bills that broke every note on culture clash that was given to me. Using preferred pronouns in school.
“You just have to let the kids be kids,” said Mr. DeSantis at a Christian school in Tampa. “What we said in Florida is that we will continue to be a haven of sanity and a citadel of normalcy.”
It was the third day in a row that he held public bill signing ceremonies in the state. Hosted by Mr. DeSantis in his official capacity as governor, the ceremony will promote his political message on a stage carefully staged by Mr. DeSantis as a true master of ceremonies, convening additional speakers and highlighting their contributions. can thank These events can take on the feel of a political rally.
Such a platform gives Mr. DeSantis, who is doing everything in his power to declare a candidacy likely by the end of this month, to his potential presidential rivals, many of whom are either out of office or serving in Congress. ), giving them an advantage over others.
His signature into law on Monday, which would end funding for diversity and equity programs at public universities, was highly publicized and drew loud protests from attendees. He and other Republicans on his podium mocked the demonstrators, many of whom were students at the New College of Florida. New College of Florida is a public liberal arts school in Sarasota that the governor is trying to turn into a conservative stronghold.
Wednesday’s signing of a bill aimed at the LGBTQ community was a “full-scale assault on freedom,” Joe Saunders, senior political director of advocacy group Equality Florida, said at a virtual press conference. He said DeSantis had already signed a six-week ban on abortion and a bill that would allow doctors to refuse treatment on moral or religious grounds.
Sanders said DeSantis “sees freedom as a campaign slogan for the White House.” “Today we are all Floridians, so the public should be on high alert.”
Some centrist Republicans argue that the way Mr. DeSantis has pushed Florida to the right on social issues is a potential weakness in the general election. A representative for DeSantis did not respond to a request for comment.
Traveling through the state, the line between Mr. DeSantis’ role as governor and a potential presidential candidate can sometimes seem blurry.
On Tuesday, Mr. DeSantis was among the top two members of Florida’s Republican Congress after signing several bills near Fort Lauderdale aimed at curbing human trafficking, a problem the right is trying to weaponize in national politics. Senate Speaker Kathleen Pasidomo, who , and Speaker of the House Paul Renner.
After the signing, Mr. Pasidomo and Mr. Renner took the podium, embossed with Florida’s state coat of arms, instead of the “stop human trafficking” sign the governor used earlier, and made Mr. DeSantis the presidential candidate. supported as He has not yet officially sought a job.
Pasidomo’s spokeswoman Katie Betta said the backing was expedient, as the governor and congressional leaders had not met since Congress closed on May 5. Both of them had received coverage from the press since their oath day last November,” Betta said in an email, referring to Pasidomo and Renner.
On Wednesday, the major super PACs backing Mr. DeSantis announced endorsements from nearly 100 state legislators. Behind the scenes, the governor’s allies and political operatives are vying with former President Donald J. Trump’s team to keep those promises. At the federal level, members of the Florida legislative delegation lean heavily in favor of Trump.
DeSantis will hold an official event every weekday this month. He’s been spending his weekends on political trips, including a trip to Iowa, a key state for early voting, last Saturday.
Since winning re-election in a crushing defeat in November, Mr. DeSantis has been regularly questioned about his national ambitions at national events. For months he would always dodge them with sarcasm about his lack of interest in petty infighting and how it was too early to talk about future campaigns with the annual Congress on hold. I’ve been
no more. On Tuesday, DeSantis jumped at the chance to criticize Trump for dodging questions about abortion. While the former president has criticized Florida’s six-week stay-at-home order as being too draconian, he declined to say what kind of restrictions he would support.
“I signed that bill. I was proud to do it,” DeSantis told reporters. “He wouldn’t answer whether he would sign it.”
This time, it was a swipe for Trump that made the headlines.
