DeSantis recounted for a packed Las Vegas bar his battles against the Biden administration and Disney and rattled off his conservative victories. Ron DeSantis introduced himself to Republican primary voters in Nevada during a Wednesday campaign stop for US Senate candidate Adam Laxalt.
VIVA LAS VEGAS - “ DeSantis amplifies 2024 chatter with trip to Nevada to campaign for Senate candidate Laxalt ,” by CNN’s Steve Contorno: “Coming off a showdown with Disney and a month of headlines for waging fights over hot-button social issues, Florida Gov. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch:
DeSantis is scheduled to be in Orlando this evening for a live town hall event with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham entitled “Florida and the American Comeback.” In all, it contained a lot of the zingers that DeSantis will repeat in reelection campaign appearances and Fox News spots in the weeks and months to come - and probably beyond. He said he had been warned to not go after the company that was “joined at the hip” with the state. Mousetrap - There was also praise for Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter and yes, there was a section where DeSantis continued to savage Disney over its opposition to the “Parental Rights in Education” law - coined "don’t’ say gay" by its critics. Greatest hits - DeSantis touched on many of the same items he has riffed on during many of his recent official events - education, his "anti-riot" bill, election laws - but he amped his volume level when addressing his crowd and laced his remarks with a little more sting with comments such as the “lying legacy media.” He contended that he has not “taken a single poll” while he has been governor and instead said “I know what I believe.” (For what it’s worth, those in his orbit have repeatedly said he does not look at polls. Later on, he called Biden “the worst president of my lifetime.” “We’re going on offense on Biden,” DeSantis said while discussing his efforts to oppose the administration’s policies regarding the border. Hey Joe - While consistently touting his record in Florida, DeSantis repeatedly jabbed President Joe Biden and his “floundering” administration over inflation, gas prices, Covid-19 and immigration. It was the DeSantis brand in all its glory. Warming up? - But the governor’s address - which earned local and national coverage - before a raucous crowd gathered in a Las Vegas bar had all the sounds of a campaign stump speech that could work well on the presidential trail. Senate and campaign on his behalf is not a surprise. Navy nearly 20 years ago, so his decision to back Laxalt's run for U.S. You got a friend in me - DeSantis has been friends with former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt since they first met in the U.S. If you recall, he was supposed to be one of the headliners at a well-known annual Nevada GOP event last August but scrapped his visit because of a potential tropical storm. Ron DeSantis - who keeps brushing aside questions about 2024 - touched down Wednesday in Nevada, one of the early battleground states of the presidential campaign.