- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis railed against Bud Light, Disney and ‘woke mind virus’
- Came during his first of three speeches in South Carolina on Wednesday
- The governor was joined on stage for a 30-minute chat with his wife Casey
By KATELYN CARALLE, U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
PUBLISHED: 12:21 EDT, 19 April 2023 | UPDATED: 15:03 EDT, 19 April 2023.
Ron DeSantis railed against the ‘woke mind virus’ as he promised to ‘keep Disney in its pen’ and pushed back on Bud Light’s decision to use a transgender social media star as a spokesperson.
The Florida governor is continuing to tour the country exploring a presidential run under the guise of a book tour.
During remarks at his first stop of the three-city South Carolina tour, DeSantis told a crowd of about 300 people in Charleston that he would continue to take on corporations that try to push their woke agenda – including his No. 1 enemy Disney.
One of DeSantis’s biggest initiatives is opposing organizations’ shift toward environmental, social, and governance investing, known as ESG. The practice has become popular with companies attempting to use their influence and money to promote agendas that are usually progressive in nature.
‘The people [want] businesses to focus on their core mission of providing whatever service or whatever they’re doing in the economy and not getting mired into woke political activism,’ DeSantis said.
DeSantis takes digs at Bud Light for ‘pushing transgenderism’
And you see it time and time again,’ he added. ‘Sometimes it’s a one off like this ridiculous thing with Bud Light by trying to push off the transgenderism. But what they’re doing is these corporations, mostly very wealthy, powerful corporations, they’re trying to leverage their economic power to change our country and change society and change policy.
‘Things like ESG – what they’re trying to do is pursue a left-wing agenda,’ the Florida governor said. ‘We are eliminating ESG, we’re providing protection for Floridians.
‘And, Disney, you know, we will make sure to keep them in their pen one way or another.’
DeSantis delivered 30-minute remarks before sitting down with his wife and Florida first lady Casey for a fireside chat-style conversation.
Casey, who graduated from the College of Charleston, donned a floral blue sundress while the governor sported a casual look with jeans, black boots, a white button-down and blazer.
Before a few hundred South Carolinians, DeSantis spoke with the American and South Carolina flags on display behind him. His book, The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival, was displayed on the table where he sat to speak with his wife.
DeSantis continued his tirade against ‘woke’ companies and education systems.
‘It is wrong for a teacher to tell a student that they may have been born in the wrong body or that their gender is a choice,’ DeSantis said. ‘So we don’t let that happen in Florida.
‘Disney objects to that, well so be it, we’re going to do that,’ he added in his war or words with the massive corporation based in Florida.
The Florida first couple visited a local coffee shop in Charleston after his Florida Blueprint event at the North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center.
Their three young children – Madison, 6, Mason, 5, and Mamie, 3 – did not join them for the one-day swing through South Carolina – but Casey assured that they would be joining them for their visit to Israel next week.
The second event of the day for DeSantis is a closed-press event expected to include a few hundred people hosted by the Dorchester County GOP in Summerville, South Carolina.
Following that, the Florida governor will continue on for remarks in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on Wednesday evening for the same type of event he held in Charleston.
Before heading to South Carolina, DeSantis made a stop at his old workplace at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday to meet with lawmakers where he once served as a congressman for Florida.
He will also head back to the D.C. metro area on Friday for remarks at a Leadership Summit for the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation.
Meanwhile, Trump continues to rake in endorsements for his 2024 White House run from lawmakers in Washington – including several of those from the Florida Republican delegation.
Walking away from his meetings in D.C. on Tuesday, two more Republicans levied their endorsements for the former president over the highly popular governor.
Reps. Brian Mast of Florida and Lance Gooden of Texas said they would be supporting Trump’s primary run – even after Gooden said he had a ‘positive meeting’ face-to-face with DeSantis on Tuesday.
This brings the total number of endorsements for Trump to seven out of the 20 Republican congressmen from Florida.
Florida GOP Rep. Greg Steube, who also endorsed Trump over DeSantis and recently made headlines for a freak accident where he fell off a ladder, said the governor never reached out or replied to him during his time in the House.
The congressman told Politico that he made multiple attempts to connect with DeSantis and said he was snubbed from being able to stand alongside the governor during an event on Hurricane Ian relief.
DeSantis has earned one official endorsement from a Florida lawmaker, despite not yet officially entering the running. Rep. Laurel Lee is a freshman congresswoman who previously served as Florida’s secretary of State under DeSantis.
Texas Rep. Chip Roy and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie have also endorsed DeSantis.
Trump has to date received 45 endorsements in the House and nine in the Senate.
Despite hemorrhaging endorsements to Trump, however, the governor still seems to be chugging full steam ahead toward a presidential run.