Florida Gov. DeSantis sworn in for a second term amid speculation about presidential bid in 2024
TALLAHASSEE - Governor Ron DeSantis was sworn into office on Tuesday for a second term after winning re-election in November by the widest margin in a Florida gubernatorial race in 40 years.
The governor carried the state by nearly 20 points on election day against former Governor Charlie Crist, bringing in more than four and a half million votes.
DeSantis took the oath of office shortly before 11:30 a.m on the steps of the Historic Capitol building.
"Freedom lives here in our great Sunshine State of Florida," he said to applause in the opening line of his address in which he talked about the state's political success and its embrace of conservative values.
"We seek normalcy not political lunacy," DeSantis said about the so-called "woke" philosophy. "Florida is where woke goes to die."
DeSantis is a favorite to run for the GOP nomination in 2024 behind former President Donald Trump, who made his White House bid official back in November.
The strength of DeSantis' reelection victory in November has made him a beacon for Republicans in a year filled with missed opportunities and disappointments. And at 44, he remains one of the party's youngest prospective White House hopefuls, with his national ambitions on full display during two days of inauguration festivities in Tallahassee that are playing out under the slogan, "The Free State of Florida."
Monday played host to a candlelight cocktail hour and dinner, while Tuesday will mark an inaugural ball, aides say, where donors who contribute between $50,000 and $1 million to the Republican Party of Florida will be given special access to the governor and VIP treatment. After the swearing-in, first lady Casey DeSantis is scheduled to lead "A Toast to One Million Mamas" to honor the women who worked and volunteered on the campaign.
As for the governor's future plans, a senior aide to DeSantis said that he has made no firm decisions and is in no rush to jump into a 2024 campaign.
"He is focused on his second term. In his eyes, there's no rush," the aide said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations in DeSantis' closely controlled orbit. Any potential announcements are not expected until after the Florida legislative session ends in May.
The cross-state rivalry with Trump hangs over every move DeSantis makes. Their relationship traces back to the future governor's 2018 primary campaign, when an endorsement from Trump helped the little-known lawmaker leapfrog early frontrunner Adam Putnam, then the state agricultural commissioner, to win the nomination. A viral ad featuring DeSantis and his family, including two young children, highlighted his allegiance to Trump.
But as talk of 2024 swirled in recent months, the pair grew increasingly at odds. Before and after the midterm election, Trump derided DeSantis as an "average governor" and mocked him with the would-be nickname, "Ron DeSanctimonious."
For his part, DeSantis has sought to downplay Trump's criticism, describing the comments as "just noise."
DeSantis is a favorite to run for the GOP nomination in 2024 behind former President Donald Trump, who made his White House bid official back in November.
Click here to read the speech in its entirety.