NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland —
Florida
Gov.
Ron DeSantis
(R) made a case Friday for effective, mission-driven leadership without the baggage of drama before a conservative gathering outside of Washington, D.C.
“We’ve been able to operate an administration that does not get consumed in petty controversy or drama or palace intrigue,” appearing to subtly criticize the
Trump
administration, while not making direct attacks. “We basically execute the mission day after day after day.”
WATCH LIVE: DESANTIS DELIVERS KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT HERITAGE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
Speaking at the Heritage Foundation’s Leadership Summit, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the conservative think tank, DeSantis detailed his administration’s action over his tenure as governor of the Sunshine State, saying he “rejects the culture of losing” that has defined the Republican Party.
As he prepares for an anticipated 2024 presidential bid, DeSantis talked of delivering results by stacking the administration with effective staff.
“You can make the best decisions in the world as an executive, you can have great policies, but if you don’t have a cadre of people who are serving in the administration, who share the vision, who are going to put the interests of the state and the viability of the agenda ahead of any of their own personal interests or agenda, then a lot of it doesn’t amount to very much,” he continued. “So we told people, ‘If you’re bringing any other agenda to this endeavor, other than what’s in the best interest of the people of Florida and what we promise Floridians we would deliver, then pack your bags right now. We don’t have time for it.”
The Florida Republican criticized the leadership of some Republicans who “will get into office, and they’re like potted plants.”
He also called for leaders to make decisions that might be unpopular or controversial, saying they need to “go on offense.”
“We need to be leaning into issues,” said DeSantis, who has long touted a war on a “woke” agenda. “We need to be raising issues when other people aren’t willing to do it. And we are not going to worry about what the Left and the media say about us.”
“If the media is not attacking me, then I wonder I must be doing something wrong,” he quipped.
“Leadership is really about having the courage to do what’s right in the face of intense, withering criticism and opposition,” DeSantis said. “It requires you to have to stand all alone, sometimes when the authorities are against you.”
DeSantis’s speech comes as Trump and allies have increased attacks on the Florida governor as the 2024 primary season inches closer. It also caps off a trip to the nation’s capital in which DeSantis tried to shore up support, only to
have prominent Republicans endorse Trump
.
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Last month, with the controversy surrounding Trump and his New York indictment concerning the Stormy Daniels hush money payment, DeSantis used the opportunity to tout his character in contrast with Trump’s.
“At the end of the day as a leader,”
DeSantis said
, “you really want to look to people like our Founding Fathers, like what type of character — it’s not saying that you don’t ever make a mistake in your personal life — but I think what type of character are you bringing?”
