Free Republic

The concept of America First embodies the American people’s aspirational goals to see policies that primarily benefit them, especially in an era when it feels as if they are being overshadowed by special-interest groups, corporate lobbyists and foreign agendas. It’s undoubtedly linked with President Donald Trump, but the question remains for the 2024 election: Can this idea thrive with someone else’s leadership?

Ahead of the rally former President Donald Trump was scheduled to have in Arizona (later postponed due to the death of Ivana Trump), the Fox News website posted a stunning three-minute video featuring a host of Trump supporters in Maricopa County talking about ditching him in 2024 for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL). The incredible montage features a group of Arizona voters who — save for one identified as Beverly who enthusiastically backed a Trump 2024 bid — all said they wanted to see Trump sit it out next time and identified DeSantis as the person they want to take over...

Tucker Carlson, the top-rated Fox News host who has built a following pushing conspiracy theories and lighting into the culture wars, on Friday flirted with a presidential run in his speech to a large gathering of Christian conservative voters in Des Moines, Iowa. Carlson used the event to blast transgender athletes, high energy prices (and wind turbines), make a glancing mention to Jan. 6 (an issue which hasn’t engaged voters on the right), before ultimately pivoting to an attack on corporate America. The speech ultimately focused on the kind of pocketbook issues that have been engaging many voters this year,...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — When coronavirus vaccines for infants and young children were authorized for the first time last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned parents against the “baby jabs,” saying regulators had done insufficient testing and trials. Still, he said he wouldn’t stand in parents’ way if they chose to vaccinate their kids. “You are free to choose,” he assured them. Florida parents say it hasn’t turned out that way

Way right Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday claimed he has “woke math’s” number, and he doesn’t like it. He railed about the mysterious mathematics Friday in a speech in Tampa to a group of conservative Moms for Liberty who are opposed to several aspects of education. DeSantis was unable to elucidate exactly what “woke math’ is. He indicated that it’s math with little regard for correct calculations, which was news to the world. “I’m just thinking to myself like, 2 + 2 equals 4. It’s not 2 + 2 equals: Well how do you feel about that? Is...

TAMPA, Fla. -- Before a friendly audience of conservative moms, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday excoriated political opponents of wanting to “sexualize” children and warp kids’ understanding of race and history. The charged campaign rhetoric in remarks to the Moms for Liberty group was usual fare for DeSantis — and a major reason why he’s in the top tier of potential GOP presidential candidates who now sits on an unprecedented $130 million war chest. But the political backdrop was as atypical as unexpected: The day before his speech, one of the national teacher unions that opposes him released a...

With more than one million reported COVID-19 deaths and enormous collateral damage to public health, education, and the economy, our pandemic response was a disaster. Yet some House Democrats are now defending the Trump administration officials responsible for initiating those misguided policies. Two Trump-appointed officials—former CDC director Robert Redfield and White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx—formally directed the federal response from the start of the pandemic through January 2021. They adopted lockdowns, including school and business closures, as the centerpiece of the national coronavirus response. In a recent report, Democrats on the Congressional Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus...

Ron DeSantis is the clear winner over Donald Trump among Florida Republicans when asked who they would like as the GOP presidential nomination 2024, according to a poll. The survey, conducted by Blueprint Polling, found 50.9 percent of those asked back or lean towards the Florida governor, with the former president behind on 38.6 percent.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is within single digits of ex-President Donald Trump in a new national poll, the closest he’s been in this or any other reputable poll — and that’s before Tuesday’s bombshell testimony. A sample of Republican and Republican-leaning respondents to a new Yahoo! News/YouGov poll were asked “Who would you rather see as the Republican nominee for President in 2024?” and given a choice between Trump and DeSantis. Among registered voters, 45 percent prefer Trump, while 36 percent prefer DeSantis — a nine-point difference that normally wouldn’t seem very close. But for Trump, in a reputable Republican...

Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation and announced new actions related to immigration enforcement in the state. Among them is a policy that could impose a hefty financial burden on state taxpayers and reduce community trust toward police. S.B. 1808 requires each law enforcement agency in Florida that operates a county detention facility to enter into an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Under a so-called 287(g) agreement, state and local law enforcement officers are deputized by the Department of Homeland Security to carry out duties typically performed by federal agents. Those officers may interview people about...

A public opinion survey in New Hampshire, the state that for a century has held the first primary in presidential race, indicates that Florida Gov. Gov. Ron DeSantis has a razor-thin margin over former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical 2024 GOP primary match-up. According to polling numbers released on Wednesday by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, 39% of likely Republican primary voters in the Granite State would support the first-term Florida governor, with 37% backing the former president. Respondents were provided a list of potential contenders for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, and DeSantis margin was well...