DeSantis Campaign Press Release - ICYMI: Ron DeSantis' Iowa Media Roundup

"I'm a leader that's delivered results on the issues that they care about." "I'm somebody that has a strong foundation of faith in God, that gives me strength as a leader. We've delivered on things from school choice to heartbeat bill, you name it. The things that have mattered for a lot of people, but particularly that are resonant with evangelicals."

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Ron DeSantis spoke with Iowa News Now's Skylar Tallal, WHO's Max & Amy, and Des Moines Register's Katie Aiken this week. The highlights are below.

KGAN and KFXA in Cedar Rapids, IA and KHQA in Keokuk, IA. Watch here.

ANCHOR: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will be back in Iowa this weekend as he continues to hit every corner of the state ahead of the caucuses, now 96 days away. Iowa's News Now Statehouse reporter Skylar Tallal back now with a one-on-one conversation with DeSantis to get his thoughts on the war in the Middle East and the current Republican disarray on Capitol Hill.

REPORTER: About three months out from the Iowa caucuses, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is focusing heavily on Iowa, tackling 74 stops in his 99 County tour, highlighting the importance of the first in the nation caucus state. He's moving about a third of his campaign staff to Iowa.

DESANTIS: I'm going to probably save the final 99 till we get closer to the caucus because I think that it'll give us some good fanfare and it'll remind Iowans as we get closer to the caucus, hey, this guy really cared. He wanted to show up. He wanted to listen to us, shake our hand, tell them what he believes.

REPORTER: DeSantis throws his support behind Israel in the war against Hamas. For Americans, like the Iowa church group that's stranded in Israel, he says the US should be doing more to get them back home.

DESANTIS: We have Americans living there. We have Americans that visit there often, next of kin, and you got to be very sensitive to that. So, I think they've dropped the ball on that, and I know that a lot of people are frustrated that it's been difficult to get out.

WHO Radio's Max & Amy in the Morning. Listen here.

MAX: We're doing well. You are approaching the full Grassley, as we call it here, huh? Almost all 99 counties?

DESANTIS: Yeah. So we've gotten 74 knocked out. We're going to be back in Iowa on Saturday. We'll be touring southwest Iowa, and we're going to do a lot of stops there. So there's no question, we're going to get there. People say, well, when are you going to get the 99th? I said, well, I don't want to get the 99th in October; I want to make it a big deal as we get closer to the caucus. You can mark it down. We're going to do the 99. When we actually decide to finish it, I think we're going to hold off on some of the latter counties. But I'll tell you what, it's been a great experience. I think that Senator Grassley starting that -- it's not just for show. I mean, when you're in every community, people appreciate when you show up because it's easy to just be in the populated areas. And I did the same thing in Florida. We have 67 counties, but we have a lot of rural counties. And I'm the first governor that's done public events in all 67 counties, and those folks would say we've never had a governor come, thank you, and people appreciate it. And then they want to be able to share their opinions and ask questions, just like people in more populated areas would do. So, I think it's a really good tradition. And the people in Iowa have been really, really great, have been very gracious to me, my wife, and our family, but very, very smart on the issues, very concerned about the future of our country. You know, this presidential nominating thing, we don't have a national primary. We have a state by state. And it's like, well, people say, why Iowa, then New Hampshire, whatever. And I don't know how it came to be, but I think that Iowans take it very seriously. And I think we're in good hands on this choice.

MAX: Governor, thank you for your service to this country. You have a unique point of view because you witnessed barbarism, you know, the darkest side of terrorism firsthand serving in the region over their head. Had you been in the office of president on Saturday, this past weekend, or Friday, Saturday, Sunday, what would you have done when you woke up or when you were awakened to learn of the news, what was going on in Israel?

DESANTIS: Well, that's the first thing I would have done. I would have been awakened to take a 2am phone call because our strongest ally in the Middle East was under attack, and Joe Biden just slept through. He just slept through the night as if nothing happened. So we would have actually manned the post. We would have been there doing our job. We would have been very clear that Israel has the right to defend itself, no moral equivalency, it really took Biden several days to be able to say that very clearly. In these situations, Israel's faced a lot of challenges, and they've really been under siege since the founding of the modern state of Israel in the late 1940s. And they do respond, but then the international community starts to attack them. And then these groups, the United Nations, the typical clown car groups will come and start attacking Israel. And then, I think Israel sometimes pulls back because they don't want to face all that condemnation. Well, this time, we've just got to say Hamas needs to just be uprooted and eradicated. When they're beheading babies, when they're raping women, filming it, putting it on social media, when they're executing elderly people -- that's barbarism. That is a lower level than even ISIS and Al Qaeda did back in those days. And I think they need to do that. So we would be very clear on that. I also would never have given Iran any money to begin with. But if you just parachuted me in this weekend, I would have taken back the $6 billion that Biden gave to the Iranians. And people say, oh, they're not using that. Yeah, they're not, but money is fungible, so it frees up other money. So I would take that back, and then I would impose the tightest possible sanctions on Iran because their money going to that regime is what ends up fueling terrorism throughout the Middle East, but particularly with Hamas, and also with Hezbollah. And so you got to do that. But I think that they're strong ally of ours, you know, we'll be supportive of them. I also would, any Americans -- you know, one of the things that bothered me about Biden, he's missing an action. There were Americans that were killed, Americans that were missing, and he just wasn't manning the post. So, when Americans are harmed abroad, that is something that the commander in chief needs to address, and we would address, and I know -- hopefully, they have people there now that can help with hostage rescue efforts because if we do have people that are held hostage that are Americans, we need to be able to try to get them back.

AMY: Governor Ron DeSantis, you may have already answered this question. However, what makes you different than many of the other people who are vying for this position?

DESANTIS: One, I'm the only one to serve this country in uniform in a war. I'm the only one that's even served in the military that's running for president. I'll be the first president elected since 1988 who has served overseas in a war on active duty. Two, I'm a father of a six, five, and three year old, so all the issues that parents are going through, I get it, my wife gets it, we're living it, and we know how important supporting parents' rights and getting our education system back into whack is good. We've done that in Florida. You guys have done good stuff in Iowa. And then results. I'm the only guy running that everything I promised the voters I would do, I delivered on 100% of our promises. In fact, we over-delivered on our promises. So as a president, I'll be able to serve two full terms. I don't think having a lame duck president gets the job done. You need two full terms. But we will go in, and we will deliver on all those things. You know, we've been talking about this border as Republicans for years and years and years. And yes, Biden has done a worse job than anyone, but it this isn't a new issue. And we need to finally bring it to a conclusion. I will bring it to a conclusion. We've talked about the budget and the debt for years and years and years. In Florida, we've paid down 25% of our state's debt, we run surpluses, we cut taxes. We're going to bring discipline to Congress because their spending really was what caused the prices to go up when they started spending so much during COVID. So we will get that done. We will get done holding these crazy prosecutors accountable in these urban areas that are causing crime to skyrocket in places like Chicago, places like Los Angeles, places like Philadelphia. Our country is in the state of chaos, partially because the rule of law has deteriorated in all those places. And then I will rejuvenate the military. We have the lowest recruiting we've had since the Vietnam War. Part of that is because you have woke agenda, social experimentation going on. We're going to rip all that out. Mission First will be military. We're going to increase recruiting, and we need to be able to do this to be able to check threats like China going forward. So, I'll be a commander in chief that I think people can have confidence in and that can be proud of.

Des Moines Register with Katie Atkin. Read here.

Ron DeSantis visits Iowa pregnancy resource center, continues his rebuke of Donald Trump on abortion

Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis spoke extensively about the onset of the war in Gaza during his latest campaign blitz through Iowa, telling caucus goers and reporters how he would handle the crisis differently than President Joe Biden.

But the Florida governor also mounted a quieter campaign to sway Iowa's faith communities, targeting Republican frontrunner Donald Trump for his opposition to a six-week abortion ban.

DeSantis held events this week at a church in Cedar Rapids and a pregnancy resource center in Storm Lake. After Trump denounced Florida's strict ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy last month, calling it a "terrible thing," DeSantis has criticized him more openly — and pitched himself as an alternative for Iowans who oppose abortion, including evangelicals.

"Of all the candidates that are running, I'm the one that's actually delivered results on pro-life protections," DeSantis told the Des Moines Register in a Monday interview. "A lot of people talk about it, some people — now Donald Trump — denigrate it, but I've actually delivered it. And that's, I think, what people want to see."

What is Ron DeSantis' stance on abortion?

As the governor of Florida, DeSantis signed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. The law would ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant. The law includes some exceptions for pregnancies involving rape or incest, or when an abortion is necessary to save a woman's life.

Although DeSantis signed the legislation in April, the law has not taken effect while a legal challenge is underway.

If elected president, DeSantis said during a televised debate that he would support a federal law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

DeSantis says Trump comments 'undermine' abortion issue

The Cornerstone Pregnancy Resource Center in Storm Lake has an unassuming facade. The four-room office shares a building with an energy company and a karate studio. Inside, Cornerstone has a single ultrasound machine and a small room full of donated baby supplies, with stacks of diapers and shelves of tiny, lined-up shoes.

Staff at Cornerstone said they've never had a high-profile visitor like DeSantis, who swept into the office with a fleet of reporters and campaign staff. Cornerstone Executive Director Misty Reid gave the Florida governor, his wife, Casey, and their kids a brief tour of the facility.

DeSantis didn't talk much about abortion during the visit. Instead, he praised Cornerstone for its outreach to parents, and he touted similar programs in Florida.

But pregnancy resource centers such as Cornerstone have been a key bargaining chip in many Republican-led states, including Iowa. Many states that passed restrictive abortion laws have also channeled public money towards these facilities, often faith-based, that encourage women to carry their pregnancy to term and provide some resources to expecting parents.

"I think what they're doing is really good work," DeSantis told the Des Moines Register in an interview at Cornerstone. When asked if he would support federal funding for pregnancy resource centers, he said "it would depend on the circumstances, but I definitely think this is a worthy cause."

Turning to abortion policy, DeSantis pointed to his record in Florida as his appeal for evangelical caucusgoers.

"I'm a leader that's delivered results on the issues that they care about," he said. "I'm somebody that has a strong foundation of faith in God, that gives me strength as a leader. We've delivered on things from school choice to heartbeat bill, you name it. The things that have mattered for a lot of people, but particularly that are resonant with evangelicals."

But his rival Trump has his own accomplishments to tout. Although he opposed laws that would ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, he is also quick to claim credit for the 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade — a landmark victory for abortion opponents.

"I was able to do something that nobody thought was possible, end Roe v. Wade," Trump wrote on Truth Social last month. "For 52 years, people talked, spent vast amounts of money, but couldn't get the job done. I got the job done!"

Maggie DeWitte, an Iowa activist who opposes abortion and who has endorsed Ron DeSantis, acknowledged the Supreme Court decision was "historic for the pro-life movement."

"While I appreciate that Trump did that for us and for the pro-life movement, his statements now have seemed to contradict the very thing that he was hoping to help us get in the pro-life movement, and that is to eliminate abortion in our country," she said.

DeWitte said she was "very, very disappointed" by Trump's statement — and other pro-life Iowans may be as well.

"It is just showing to pro-life people that his convictions aren't as strong as we thought they were," she said.

DeWitte is one of more than a dozen Iowa abortion opponents who endorsed DeSantis late last month. She is the executive director of Pulse Life Advocates, but did not endorse on behalf of the group.

DeSantis argued that Trump's opposition to restrictive state laws, like those passed in Iowa and in Florida, "undermines" the benefits from the Supreme Court's ruling.

"When he says that pro-life protections are terrible, that's going to be weaponized in every state in this country who proposes to do pro-life protections," DeSantis said Monday. "Trump is going to be used by the Left to try to say that those protections are a terrible thing."

The Iowa surge: DeSantis makes small-town stops while sending in more staff

The Never Back Down bus pulled up to the World's Largest Popcorn Ball in Sac City on Monday, a line of about 40 people waving Ron DeSantis toward the 9,370-pound landmark.

DeSantis debarked from the bus with his wife, Casey, and their two daughters in tow. "You see that, guys?" he asked the kids. "You see that popcorn? You see how big that is?"

After posing for a family picture with the popcorn ball, DeSantis, Casey, and 3-year-old Mamie shook hands with the small crowd of Iowans.

Wall Lake resident Rob Germann, 68, asked the governor about inflation — a top issue for him, as a recently retired grocery store owner. Germann said he was impressed by DeSantis' electoral results in Florida and his performance in the televised debates, and he plans to caucus for him in January.

"I'm glad that he made the stop here. I hope I get to see him again," he said. "I got to shake his hand, got to look him in the face, and that's one thing you need to do. That's what Iowans do, is they shake their hand and look them in the eyes. And he's got true eyes."

The corn behemoth was one of the final stops in DeSantis' latest swing through Iowa. He's visited 74 of Iowa's 99 counties, and he intends to visit each one before the caucus in January.

A Des Moines Register analysis found that DeSantis has the most robust operation in Iowa, with more than two dozen full-time staffers between his PAC and campaign, and several field offices.

DeSantis is betting on the traditional Iowa caucuses playbook, relying on door-knocking and a flurry of small-town retail stops to help him build momentum in Iowa. His staffers were joined by about 30 old friends this past weekend, as former DeSantis aides and volunteers flew themselves to Iowa to help campaign.

Adrian Lukis, former chief of staff for DeSantis who was among the volunteers, said, "I don't even know if he (DeSantis) knew that we were going to come here. We want to spread his message and tell Iowans, as many as we can, how well did for governor of the state of Florida."

Ebo Entsuah, a former legislative aide in Congress who worked for DeSantis, said the Florida governor's leadership is "about having courage and not being afraid to say the things that need to be said and actually getting results."

On Monday morning, DeSantis made a visit to another Iowa landmark: the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor in Le Mars. He ended his hour-long event, which started 30 minutes late and had some in the audience grumbling about his tardiness, by emphasizing his track record on leadership.

"Ultimately, leadership — it's not about creating drama. It's not about a state of chaos. It's not about entertainment. It's about producing results, and that's how you're judged," DeSantis said.

Pat Warner, a registered Republican voter attending the Blue Bunny event, said she wanted a president who could stand up to elected officials in Congress who she accused of not doing their job because of the spending fight.

"I think that they are all for themselves and they argue too much and they don't do enough for the middle-class, lower-class," the 77-year-old retiree said, adding she thought DeSantis or South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott could be the man to stand up and lead.

As DeSantis left the stage, some attendees bought ice cream — or in the case of one couple, waited for a friend to deliver some home-grown garlic. DeSantis got neither ice cream nor garlic, but instead took some selfies and boarded the bus for another long day of Iowa campaigning.