Topline
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said in an interview with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum that as president, he would shut down the Internal Revenue Service and the federal departments of education, commerce and energy—his latest hardline statements that come days after the presidential candidate proposed ending birthright citizenship.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) speaks during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit held at the ... [+]
Key Facts
DeSantis said he would push to cut the IRS and other federal agencies if Congress worked with him, adding that if common ground could not be reached, he would use the agencies to “push back against woke ideology.”
The departments DeSantis said he would remove are responsible for the oversight and growth of crucial systems and policies in the U.S., including the country’s research and development into nuclear weapons and power.
The governor’s statement comes a few days after he said he would end birthright citizenship—which is enshrined in the Fourteenth Amendment—increase deportations and restart construction of the border wall as president, in an apparent attempt by the presidential candidate to place himself farther right than former President Donald Trump.
Key Background
Polls show DeSantis is Trump’s chief challenger in the presidential race. In the last month, the Florida governor has tried appealing to very conservative voters through promises of highly right-leaning policies he would implement if elected president. DeSantis has attempted to one-up Trump’s conservative status-quo, recently saying he would “do better” than Trump in terms of judge appointments. Still, DeSantis sits behind Trump by around 28 percentage points, according to a FiveThirtyEight poll tracker. Despite Trump’s latest indictment, which pertains to his alleged mishandling of classified documents after his time as president, polling suggests the former president has not lost support, while DeSantis has not gained momentum as a result.
Tangent
It was revealed last week that DeSantis received a pricey golf simulator and private flights from one of his donors, fueling uncertainty and questions into the blue-collar platform he is running on for president.
Further Reading
DeSantis Proposes Ending Birthright Citizenship As He Runs To Trump’s Right On Immigration (Forbes)
DeSantis Received High-End Golf Simulator, Private Flights From Donor, Report Says (Forbes)
