2024 Presidential Race

DeSantis' Presidential Campaign Hosts Its First South Carolina Event in the Lowcountry
By Vasilisa C. Hamilton

Florida’s Republican Governor, Ron DeSantis, made a campaign stop in the Palmetto State Friday at Okatie Ale House in Bluffton, located in Beaufort County, a traditionally Republican stronghold.

“I’m running for president because American decline is not inevitable,” DeSantis said. His “Great American Comeback Tour,” as he calls it, will make three stops in South Carolina today.

“Our nation is careening toward bankruptcy,” DeSantis said, referring to the debt ceiling and proposing a reduction in the number of IRS (Internal Revenue Service) agents.

Reflecting on his upbringing, DeSantis said, “I was willing to work and to do a lot of menial stuff because I believe in America,” he said, noting that he is the only current presidential candidate that has worn our nation’s uniform.

DeSantis is a veteran of the U.S. Navy; a Yale University and Harvard School of Law grad; a former TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party member (now called the Freedom Caucus); and a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The United States now has a fourth branch of government, DeSantis said, referring to the “massive administrative state” -- the federal government bureaucracy. “I will return our government to its rightful owners, the American people,” he said. DeSantis said he would “wage a war on ‘wokeness.’”

Touting his accomplishments in the Sunshine State, DeSantis said Floridians do not pay state income taxes. “You should try it sometime,” he boasted. “As president, I pledge to be on the offensive,” DeSantis told an audience that was comprised of many seniors that Beaufort County EMS was closely monitoring to make sure no one was overcome by the heat. Some attendees were using their “Desantis 2024 Never Back Down” posters to help shield themselves from the sun.

Shortly before introducing his wife, College of Charleston alumna Casey DeSantis, Governor DeSantis said all baby items purchased in Florida are tax-free, which he said would have been helpful when the couple’s three children were smaller.

DeSantis made light of President Joe Biden’s accidental fall yesterday (Biden wasn’t hurt), saying Biden’s “stumbling around” is a metaphor for America.

“I like him because he’s real,” a woman who asked not to be identified told me. “It’s a rough time right now,” she said.

The DeSantis campaign held an afternoon event in Lexington, S.C., and will visit Greenville, S.C., tonight.” 

Vasilisa is an author, independent journalist, and communications strategist. She is the recipient of an Award for In-Depth Reporting from the South Carolina Press Association. Her website is Papadidntpreach.com.