(C) Florida Phoenix This story was originally published by Florida Phoenix and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . DeSantis’ inauguration speech might signal interest in presidential run [1] ['Danielle J. Brown', 'More From Author', '- January'] Date: 2023-01-03 Although the content of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ second inaugural speech was supposed to reflect his vision of how the state should run, many of his critics concluded that his speech spoke to a larger goal: running for president. One of those critics is Gwen Graham, daughter of former Democratic Gov. Bob Graham, who unsuccessfully sought his party’s presidential nomination in 2018. Gwen Graham now serves as an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Education. Graham tweeted Tuesday: “He [DeSantis] didn’t care about being in Congress. He didn’t want to serve Florida in the U.S. Senate. As governor, he doesn’t give a damn about Florida or Floridians. All he does has been calculated to run for president. God help us all, if he succeeds.” While DeSantis has not formally announced a run, he is largely seen as a favored contender for 2024, the Phoenix previously reported. Another national political figure who weighed in is Roger Stone, an associate of former President Donald Trump who was charged with five counts of lying to Congress. Stone shared a picture of DeSantis and former Gov. Jeb Bush at the inauguration on Twitter. “Gov Ron DeSantis with his patron Jeb Bush at today’s Inauguration. Birds of a feather …..” Stone tweeted Tuesday. Bush ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Republican nominee in the 2020 presidential election — which Trump ultimately won. Trump has already announced his campaign for the 2024 election, although some polls suggest DeSantis might be the preferred Republican nominee. Statewide Republicans largely congratulated the governor on his second term. Florida Sen. Nick DeCeglie, a Republican representing part of Pinellas County, tweeted his congratulations to DeSantis. “Public service is about putting the people you serve above petty politics and media narratives. That’s exactly how our great governor has lead [sic], and that’s why I’m proud to serve alongside him in Florida’s Capitol. Congratulations to our governor and to our First Lady,” DeCeglie wrote. Florida Rep. Kelly Skidmore, a Democrat representing part of Palm Beach County, noted that some state Democrats attended the inauguration. “Democratic members of the Florida House did attend and heard what he said, and we are here to remind the governor that our state government is a democracy with checks and balances, not a factory of red meat catch phrases designed to agitate,” Skidmore said in a written statement. “He covered no new ground, and offered no solutions to problems Floridians face. If he plans to run for president, he certainly needs a new speechwriter,” Skidmore said. ‘Out of touch’ Ida Eskamani, prominent progressive activist and sister of Democratic Florida House member Anna Eskamani, said that DeSantis is “out of touch and out of ideas.” “Very predictable tropes in this speech,” she tweeted Tuesday. She followed up with another tweet: “Must have used an AI generator for painfully bad speeches.” Rep. Christopher Benjamin, a Democrat who represents part of Miami-Dade County, responded to a particular statement DeSantis made: “We have refused to use polls and to put our finger in the wind – leaders do not follow, they lead.” Rep. Benjamin responded in a written statement: “What this says is that we are willing to disregard the age-old maxim that government is for the people by the people. This why we must vote for leaders that will carry the voice of the people regardless of their own ambitions.” [END] --- [1] Url: https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/01/03/desantis-inauguration-speech-might-signal-interest-in-presidential-run/ Published and (C) by Florida Phoenix Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/floridaphoenix/