DeSantis: ‘‘We are not afraid to buck the discredited ruling class and elites in this country’

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis gave an hour long keynote speech at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, DeSantis argued that Florida’s business model even provides a “lesson for people on the Right.”

“Just because the media and the elites are saying to do something, that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “We are not afraid to buck the discredited ruling class and elites in this country. We did it during COVID, but we’ve done it time and time again across the board.”

“Corporatism is not the same as free enterprise, and I think too many Republicans have viewed limited government to basically mean whatever is best for corporate America is how we want to do the economy,” the governor said.

He slammed President Joe Biden’s immigration policy and doubled down on a promise to bus undocumented migrants from Florida to Delaware. He touted his “anti-woke” policies and how he largely flouted federally recommended pandemic guidelines.

The Republican governor, who is campaigning for reelection as governor in Florida, also addressed election integrity, telling those in attendance: “You can have the best election laws in the world, but if they’re not enforced, what good are they?”

Ron DeSantis is up for his re-election bid in November, but he made no mentions of his opponent or upcoming election. DeSantis is clearly angling to be the de-facto GOP alternative if Donald Trump does not run for President in 2024. He leads his Democratic opponent Charlie Crist, former Democratic Florida governor and House member, 50%-41%, in a survey last week.

“My view is, obviously, free enterprise is the best economic system, but that is a means to an end. It’s a means to having a good and fulfilling life and a prosperous society. It’s not an end in and of itself,” DeSantis added. “The United States is a nation that has an economy, not the other way around, and our economy should be geared for helping our own people.”

DeSantis ended his speech by emphasizing that any change agent has to be willing to fight an take the arrows.

“The Left is playing for keeps,” he warned attendees near the end of his speech. “This is not an easy fight because they have so much support across the commanding heights of society. It requires that, yes, we use common sense and yes, we understand the issues and (are) correct on those.

“But more and more, it requires that you do so by demonstrating courage under fire because if you stand up for what’s right, you are going to get attacked by corporate press. You may get censored by Big Tech. You will get smeared by the opposition, (but) if you’re not willing to take the arrows, you’re not going to get anything done. You’ve got to be willing to stand, and you’ve got to be willing to fight.”

Watch the full speech below: