ORLANDO, Fla. — For the second year in a row, Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke on the first day of CPAC in Orlando.
For years, the conservative gathering had been held just outside of DC but was relocated in 2021 to the Sunshine State at the height of COVID due to restrictions in Maryland.
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Those restrictions and the Biden administration were the focus of the governor’s remarks.
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“I can tell you there is one fella who just hates Florida and it’s Joe Biden,” said DeSantis to the thousands packed into the ballroom at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel.
DeSantis took issue with President Joe Biden’s policies on everything from the economy to COVID to immigration.
Photos: Thousands of conservatives gather in Orlando for start of major Republican conference
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“If Biden is dumping illegal aliens into the state of Florida, I’m rerouting them to Delaware,” said DeSantis, referencing his budget recommendations which call for millions to deport illegal immigrants.
While much of his 20-minute speech dealt with Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci, two names did not appear, “Trump” or “Putin.”
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The Governor did not make any mention of Vladimir Putin or Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in his remarks, even as other speakers denounced the invasion, and a later pair of speakers held a conversation about the foreign policy decisions that preceded the invasion.
As for former President Donald Trump, who is slated to speak on Saturday at CPAC, he won last year’s CPAC straw poll for its pick for president in 2024, with DeSantis a distant second.
However, recent polling from the University of North Florida shows, at least in Florida, the race between Trump and DeSantis is a statistical dead heat.
“I would have to go with Trump. We want to keep DeSantis as our governor,” said Tom Freeman, who drove up to Orlando from Jupiter.
While some people did wear DeSantis campaign apparel, the overwhelming majority of those in attendance had their trademark red MAGA hats and Trump buttons.
“Trump for president and Ron can follow up right behind him,” said Duane Schwingel.
For most of the speakers on Thursday, as well as those in attendance, there was a view that Trump had actually won the 2020 election and that he would run again in 2024, although Trump has not said if he’ll run again.
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