DeSantis Campaign Press Release - ICYMI: Ron DeSantis on Local TV in Iowa

"Governor DeSantis ended the interview sharing that with him in charge, you're going to have a president who supports the people who wear the uniform."

Tallahassee, FL - Ron DeSantis spoke with local TV reporters from Iowa during a virtual press conference yesterday.

KHQA in Keokuk, IA. Watch here.

REPORTER: Well, Governor DeSantis has definitely made his mark on communities across the tri-state area and beyond, whether that was from his Never Back Down campaign tour, or from folks catching his law enforcement recruitment billboards in major surrounding cities. Today we spoke on recent presidential polls and his plan moving forward. Polls don't elect presidents; voters elect presidents. Now that's a quote from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at last week's Republican presidential debate, when asked what Governor DeSantis' plan would be to beat former President Donald Trump. Now after speaking with the governor Tuesday, we asked DeSantis what he thought of the recent polls. How you're feeling about where your polls stand. On the debate floor, you did say polls don't elect presidents; voters elect presidents. So what would you have to say about that?

GOV DESANTIS: Well look, I mean, I think that every poll that was done after the debates said I won -- and really comfortably. All the focus groups said that we won the debate. And I think part of it is for a couple of reasons. One, I'm the only person that has actually done and achieved the things that we're talking about. I've delivered results, whereas a lot of these other candidates just have talked about it.

REPORTER : The governor continued to share he thinks he elevated the discussions on the debate floor while the other candidates were harping on each other. And speaking of the debate floor, Governor DeSantis made sure to share and show support for our country's law enforcement.

GOV DESANTIS CLIP: In Florida, we back the blue. We support the men and women of law enforcement.

MACKENZIE: Now in recent weeks, Governor DeSantis hasn't just made stops in Iowa. His recruitment billboards have made it to cities like Chicago.

GOV DESANTIS: These officers are risking their lives. A lot of times, the judges put the criminals back on the street. And I know in Illinois, they have a no cash bail. Los Angeles just enacted no cash bail. It's going to be a carousel of these criminals getting in, getting put out, committing more crimes, and doing. Why are you going to be risking your life if they're going to put them back on the street, and you're not going to be appreciated for what you do?

REPORTER: Now, these billboards from DeSantis gave law enforcement recruitment bonuses for those who move to Florida from out of state or who are Florida residents but are new to the industry. Governor DeSantis ended the interview sharing that with him in charge, you're going to have a president who supports the people who wear the uniform. Working for you, I'm Mackenzie Laporte.

REPORTER: Thanks, Mackenzie. Governor DeSantis also shared that he is going to continue on his 99-county tour of Iowa, so keep an eye out at KHQA.com because he could be coming to a town near you soon.

Fox 18 in Quad Cities. Watch here.

REPORTER: Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis held an online news conference today for journalists in Iowa. Your local election headquarters is tracking campaign 2024. DeSantis emphasized he would follow up on promises and get results. He thinks Americans want a president who gets results for the people. DeSantis claims he could do it based on his time as Florida's governor. Someone asked him about the future of other presidential candidates. DeSantis says it'll be him and Donald Trump fighting for the Republican nomination.

GOV DESANTIS: Those are the two candidates. And yes, I mean, would it be easier if it was one on one? Yeah, it would be, but I think our view is we're going to amass the support of Iowans that we need, that even if it remains a crowded field, I think you're going to see it.

KHQA in Keokuk, IA. Watch here.

REPORTER: New information: in recent weeks, Governor Ron DeSantis has put up law enforcement recruitment billboards across many major cities like Chicago. These billboards come after the new Illinois law, The Safety Act, took effect earlier this month, eliminating cash bail for a number of crimes. DeSantis says these billboards are to show police and first responders that they are valued and supported in Florida, something he says they don't have here in Illinois.

GOV DESANTIS: But one of the things we noticed that we were one of the states that was stepping up to back the law enforcement. A lot of these other states -- Illinois was not good, Washington State, California, whatnot -- these folks were not being treated well in their communities. There were efforts to defund police.

REPORTER: The billboards promise law enforcement recruitment bonuses for those who moved to Florida from out of state or those who are Florida residents but are new to the industry. Governor DeSantis said that they have recruited law enforcement from several major cities already, including Chicago.

KMTV in Southwest, IA. Watch here.

REPORTER: Governor, thanks for taking a few of our questions. As you know, one of the biggest political stories right now is the battle in the speaker, for Speaker of the House. Do you think it's time for Speaker Kevin McCarthy to step aside? Is it time for new leadership in the House?

GOV DESANTIS: Well, you know, I opposed McCarthy when it wasn't cool years ago. And he's really somebody that Donald Trump has backed and put into that position. And so I think that they've not delivered results. I think the contrast between Florida, us delivering results, and what you have in Washington is typically failure theater. Now this whole movement to do this motion, look, I think a lot of that is performative. I think a lot of that is the typical theatrics that we're used to saying, I'm not sure how much thought is going into that. But I can tell you this, our voters want to see results. We're sick of the talk. And a lot of these DC Republicans have promised all these things over the years and then when it comes time they don't deliver. I mean the most recent budget bill they passed after spending nine months complaining about the open border, complaining about inflation, complaining about weaponization of federal agencies. All of that stuff is continuing with no course correction at all. I would say the government is spending too much money that's why you are paying more for everything you're doing. Government sparked the inflation crisis that we have, government sparked the high interest rates that people are laboring under, and that's hurting families who are trying to afford a home. It's also hurting businesses who are trying to make ends meet, particularly small businesses. But you have right now, a family that bought the average priced home five years ago, compared to the family that buys the average price home today, that mortgage payment today is over twice as much on a monthly basis than it would have been five years ago with that average price. And so this is because of what they've done in Washington. So we need a whole different approach, I will be able to bring that approach as president, because I think that unfortunately, it looks like they're going to just continue doing a lot of the same old stuff that hasn't worked in the past.

REPORTER: If speaker McCarthy is soon out of a job, is there any name any Republican friend of yours that you'd like to see as Speaker of the House?

GOV DESANTIS: Oh, man, I don't know if I would wish that job on any of my friends, to be honest with you. There's a lot of great guys out there that are working really hard. You know, I got guys that have endorsed me like Chip Roy and Congressman Tom Massie. I think Chip is somebody that really, really understands how you move this country in a better direction and he's a real leader on policy. And I think Tom Massie, you know, when they were doing the COVID lock downs, and they did the $2.2 trillion in March of 2020. Massie held it up. He said, You can't just voice vote this. And he said, this is going to lead to supply chain problems. It's going to lead to people dropping out of the labor force, and it's going to lead to inflation. He was pilloried at the time for saying that. Donald Trump said he should be run out of the Republican Party for saying that. But if you go back and look what Tom Massie said in March of 2020, he was right. He was right on all those issues, that set the stage for a lot of the economic problems that we have. So those are two good guys, there's a lot more, a lot more good guys. But I think it's a thankless job, so I'm not sure that they would want to sign up for it.