DeSantis, on Election Day, Calls the Iran War a 'Big, Big Drag' on Republicans, Says Putting Noem in Charge of Immigration Was 'a Mistake' and Won't Rule Out 2028
In a podcast interview with Stephen A. Smith that aired Monday night, the outgoing Florida governor said the open-ended Iran conflict has cost the party voters and that Republicans must be honest about gas prices. The Washington Examiner reports his remarks; they are his, not ours.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis used a long interview on the eve of the midterms to list what he thinks Republicans have to fix, the Washington Examiner reports.
Where it aired. DeSantis spoke with commentator Stephen A. Smith on the "Straight Shooter" podcast, which aired Monday night. The Examiner calls him an outgoing governor and a possible 2028 presidential candidate. He did not say what he plans to do.
The Iran war. DeSantis called the conflict a "big, big drag" for Republicans. He said some voters who backed President Trump's America First message in 2024 have "checked out" because "I didn't want any more Middle East wars, and now we're doing it." He compared it with the operation that captured Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, which the Examiner says took about 90 minutes. "Had that been wrapped up in, like, a week, like Venezuela was very quick, probably wouldn't have been an issue right now," he said, adding that the open-ended fighting is hitting people at the gas pump.
On gas prices. He accused his party of "gaslighting" voters by blaming former President Joe Biden for higher prices. "Gas is higher. It hurts people, working-class people, and it's higher because of this conflict. That's just the fact," he said. He added that if the war runs through Mr. Trump's final years, it will be "devastating to his ability to get things done" and will make 2028 an uphill fight for the party.
Big tech. DeSantis said Washington should put technology policy at the top of the agenda and that Republicans need "more balance" in how they treat big tech. He pointed to risks AI chatbots pose to minors and to communities upset about data centers. He rejected Sen. Bernie Sanders's proposed ban on AI, but said giving the companies "basically an amnesty from accountability" is wrong policy and unpopular. If Democrats take the issue, he warned, they could win voters who have traditionally leaned conservative.
Immigration. He said immigration was the top issue in 2024, but that putting former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in charge was "a mistake." "She wanted to be on a horse and do this. She wanted these conflicts," he said, referring to DHS advertising. He called part of the administration's aggressive enforcement "unnecessary," and pointed to Florida, where he directed local law enforcement to cooperate with deportation orders when an illegal immigrant is found to have committed a crime.
- Asked about running, he said: "We'll see what happens. Maybe someday. I don't know about '28. Maybe later." He also said the Washington "swamp" is "the worst it's ever been," and noted he sold his stocks when he entered Congress and has never traded one in office.
What we could not check. We did not hear the podcast; we are relying on the Examiner's account and the quotes it printed. The claims about voter sentiment, the cost of the Iran war and the Maduro operation's length are his or the Examiner's, and we have not verified them. The Examiner says analysts expect Democrats are more likely to take the House, with the Senate undecided. It did not include a response from the White House.