WASHINGTON — Florida governor — and expected GOP presidential nominee — Ron DeSantis promotes his agenda at a Georgia gun shop, embarking on a new national tour in the face of another mass school shooting, fading poll numbers and constant attacks from donald trump.
Upcoming trips to politically important states such as Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio are part of a book promotion tourbut the Florida governor and likely presidential candidate will also be speaking to potential primary supporters and donors.
EventBrite invited DeSantis to speak about his “Florida blueprint” during a performance at Adventure Outdoors in Smyrna, near Atlanta. It described the blueprint as a policy agenda “that serves as a model for the rest of the nation” and that the Florida governor “now shares this successful blueprint with the country.”
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The DeSantis book tour stops at the Georgia Gun Store
Adventure Outdoors is the same gun shop visited by Agents this week Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
While ATF described it as a routine check, four congressmen — including conservative arsonists — attended Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. – appeared to protest the agency’s appearance.
Many Republican candidates have campaigned at Adventure Outdoors over the years.
The Georgia Democratic Party slammed DeSantis for showing up at a gun store just days later Mass school shooting in Nashville. It said DeSanti’s allies in Florida “are paving the way for him to sign legislation that could make it easier for criminals to carry guns.”
DeSantis says the Constitution protests the rights of lawful gun owners.
Who is Ron DeSantis?
DeSantis has not officially announced this a campaign for the presidency in 2024however, is expected to do so shortly after the current session of the Florida Legislature adjourned in 2024.
The DeSantis tour of politically important states — including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia and New Hampshire — comes as friends and foes try to define the Florida governor when he takes the national stage.
A Florida native, DeSantis attended Yale and Harvard Law School and served as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) in the Navy. The longtime conservative promoted his opposition to President Barack Obama when he won the 2012 election to the US House of Representatives.
In 2018, DeSantis defeated a more established Republican to win the GOP primary for governor, thanks in part to positive comments from then-President Donald Trump.
These days, Trump tries to define DeSantis as ungrateful, constantly changing his position on things like COVID restrictions and Help for Ukraine. The former president also describes DeSantis as a “globalist” who sides with establishment Republicans.
What is Ron DeSantis’ agenda?
DeSantis impersonates himself as one “Anti-Wake” candidate. As governor, he has tried to ban diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in schools and businesses.
DeSantis declined to respond directly to Trump’s insults, but made veiled comments about the differences between himself and the ex-president.
He has said his management style avoids “drama,” an indication of that Trump is under investigation about hush money to a porn star, efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and the January 6, 2021 riot.
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Trump vs. DeSantis
DeSantis has emerged as Trump’s challenger according to polls from early 2024, especially afterward he won re-election in Florida by more than 19 percentage points.
Recent polls show that Trump is widening his lead over DeSantis, despite negative news from ongoing investigations into the ex-president.
A Fox News poll released on Wednesday, Trump gave a 30 percentage point lead over DeSantis of 54%-24%; In the same poll last month, Trump led by 15 points, 43%-28%.
Across the recent poll, Trump said on the Truth Social website that “it’s bad news for Ron DeSanctimonious.”
Ken Cuccinelli, who chairs a political action committee for DeSantis, pointed to polls showing DeSantis has higher positive ratings and much lower negative ratings than Trump.
“Who can beat @JoeBiden and retake the US Senate and keep the GOP majority in the House of Representatives?” said Cuccinelli.
How the dust settles
DeSantis, who has dismissed Trump’s criticism as “background noise,” says it’s too early to talk about the presidential race.
In an interview last week with Fox Nation host Piers Morgan, DeSantis said he’s focused on his job as Florida governor: “We’re going to bring a lot of points to the board. And then we’ll see how the dust settles after that.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ron DeSanti’s book tour stops at Georgia gun shop days after Nashville
Source : news.yahoo.com