Q&A of the Day – Is Ron DeSantis a “Globalist”?
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
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Today’s Entry: I love DeSantis for Florida. But I have concerns about him. Is he a globalist?
Bottom Line: This is a question I’ve been asked often enough that I felt it warranted a Q&A. As three more GOP presidential candidates are evidently entering the race this week in Mike Pence, Chris Christie and Doug Burgum, there’s no doubt the focus remains on the two Floridians. And the reason some have questions about whether Ron DeSantis is a “globalist” is because of the other Floridian who refers to our governor as DeSanctimonious. Among the many charges former President Donald Trump has lobbed at DeSantis, his being a globalist is one of them. To be even more specific, this began a few months ago in a Truth Social post in which Trump said: The real Ron is a RINO GLOBALIST, who closed quickly down Florida and even its beaches. Loved the Vaccines and wasted big money on ‘Testing.’ How quickly people forget! And thus, Ron the Globalist was born. So, is there truth to Trump’s accusation?
Let’s start with what the definition of a globalist:
- a person who advocates the interpretation or planning of economic and foreign policy in relation to events and developments throughout the world.
This definition is helpful because it’s quantifiable. If you’re wondering if Ron DeSantis really is a globalist, the answer is if he advocates the interpretation or planning of economic and foreign policy in relation to events and developments throughout the world. Hearing that definition, for most Floridians who’re familiar with our governor, likely already provides you with a pretty strong inclination. One needs to look no further than the very Truth post in which Trump first levied the accusation to realize the inherent contradiction. While DeSantis was already a popular governor in Florida by the time the pandemic arrived, it was of course his pandemic policy, which bucked not just the policy of “governments throughout the world”. He bucked the policies of almost all other governments in this country. Including, ironically, bucking the guidance of the Trump administration's Coronavirus Task Force. The fact of the matter is that Governor DeSantis never closed our beaches, in fact you may recall many national news outlets chastised Florida and mocked our governor for keeping our beaches open during this time. Remember the doof in the grim reaper outfit roaming Florida’s beaches? The only beaches which closed were those controlled by local lockdown-oriented governments. And even then DeSantis eventually forced all local governments to reopen them along with businesses.
Florida was one of the first four states to begin reopening. It was the last week of April that Alaska, Montana, Oklahoma and Florida all began to reopen. On April 29th, of 2020 Governor DeSantis’ Administration released the Safe. Smart. Step-by-Step Plan for Florida’s Recovery which marked the beginning of Florida’s reopening process. It’s but one matter, but it is the defining matter not just of DeSantis’ time as governor, but in any of our lifetimes in terms of those in power who are globalists. It is a demonstrable fact that Governor DeSantis bucked the WHO-led globalist agenda during the pandemic, becoming one of the first four states to reopen, including being the first large state to do so. But it doesn’t stop there either.
As governor, DeSantis has consistently taken strong stances against the globalist agenda commonly crafted and perpetuated via the World Economic Forum. This includes having banned the use of ESG guidelines for investments by the state of Florida along with ending DEI programs at Florida’s colleges and universities. By way of actions and policy DeSantis has demonstrably operated in opposition to the agenda of globalists. Where some have attempted to make the claim stick is on the donor side. While it’s also false that George Soros supports Ron DeSantis, nothing could be further from the truth, as he’s not financially supported a single Republican or conservative cause, DeSantis has attracted some historically Republican leaning donors some call into question. The Koch family, for example, is putting their money behind DeSantis in the primary.
Some of the claims Trump has made against DeSantis, such as his performance as governor, are subjective. Some, such as this particular line of attack are evidenced to be false by way of enacted policy and actions to date. As a reminder, this story isn’t a pro-DeSantis/anti-Trump piece. I’ve pledged analytical coverage throughout the process and that’s what this story represents. As always there are two sides to stories and one side to facts.