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Ron Desantis is currently the Governor of Florida and is running for President of the United States in 2024. He is a member of the conservative wing of the Republican Party. We assign Ron Desantis a Right Biased and Mixed factual rating due to numerous failed fact checks.
State: Florida
Title: Governor (01/8/2019 – Current) – Presidential Candidate (Dropped out Jan 21, 2024)
Political Party: Republican
Political Alignment: Conservative Right
Factual Rating: Mixed
Career:
- Yale University (B.A. in History) (2001)
- Harvard Law School (J.D., 2005)
- Judge Advocate General’s Corp: Legal arm of U.S. Navy (2004-2010)
- House of Representatives, Florida’s 6th congressional district (2013– 2018)
- Governor of Florida (2019 – current)
- Presidential Run: Announced candidacy for the presidency as a Republican nominee (May 2023).
Stance on Key Policies:
- Abortion Rights: Unfavorable – Governor DeSantis has signed legislation including a parental consent requirement for minors (SB 404, 2020) and a six-week abortion ban, reflecting his stance on restricting abortion access in Florida.
- Economy: Free Market Capitalism – He supports tax cuts and deregulation. Governor Ron DeSantis, aligning with Republican principles of limited government and fiscal conservatism, proposed a $2 billion tax relief plan in 2023.
- Climate Change: Supports Limited Government Action – Governor Ron DeSantis acknowledges climate change and has taken measures to address its impacts in Florida, such as funding projects to protect against sea-level rise and flooding. However, his stance on the causes of climate change and the adoption of comprehensive mitigation strategies remains less clear.
- Education: Choice-Charter-Private Schools – Gov. Ron DeSantis supports school choice and has pushed for the expansion of charter schools. He signed a bill (HB 1259) that shifts public funds from traditional public schools to charter schools for capital costs, diverting school funding and directing more public funding to privately owned and operated schools within the public system.
- Foreign Policy: Mixed – He is opposed to the US and NATO using military force in Ukraine but is for supporting Israel with aid and weapons. He is primarily non-interventionist but wants to increase military spending.
- LGBTQ Rights: Limited Rights– Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed four bills, including measures that expand the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law and ban transition-related care for minors while also prohibiting trans people from using public facilities aligned with their gender identities and restricting “adult” performances in front of minors, with the latter measure specifically targeting drag performances.
- Gun Ownership: Limited Gun Control Measures – Governor Ron DeSantis has expressed strong support for the Second Amendment and believes that arming law-abiding citizens enhances safety, but recent incidents suggest a contradiction in his stance as his campaign requested gun bans and the implementation of metal detectors at certain events he attended.
- Immigration: Limited Immigration – Governor Ron DeSantis, who supports strong border security, signed a Florida immigration overhaul bill that includes measures like banning local governments from issuing identification cards to non-citizens and increasing penalties for human trafficking, aiming to remove incentives for migrants.
- Health Care: Market-Based Health Care – Governor Ron DeSantis has shown a track record of voting in favor of repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) through his support for repeal efforts in 2013, 2015, and 2017. However, no proactive measures have been taken by DeSantis or the legislature in Florida to mitigate the potential loss of Medicaid coverage for the state’s population, specifically children.
- Overall: Conservative – His policy positions and actions align more closely with conservative principles.
View Ron Desantis’ voting record
Recent Failed Fact Checks
- When migrants arrived on Martha’s Vineyard, “They called out the National Guard and deported them within 24 hours.” – False.
- A central bank digital currency would allow the Federal Reserve to control Americans’ spending. – False
- Announced a request for a grand jury probe into “crimes and wrongdoing” related to the COVID-19 vaccines, suggesting the shots were too risky. – False.
- “They are literally chopping off the private parts of young kids.” – Mostly False.
(M. Huitsing 07/22/2023)
Last Updated on January 21, 2024 by Media Bias Fact Check