DeSantis Campaign Press Release - ICYMI: Ron DeSantis Live on Sunday Morning Futures

"We're not going to beat the Democrats by adopting Joe Biden's basement strategy."

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Ron DeSantis joined Maria Bartiromo on Fox New's Sunday Morning Futures. The highlights are below.

Watch the full interview HERE.

On his plan to save the American automobile:

They are going to really hurt the whole automobile industry. It is going to hurt jobs, forcing EVs. A lot of people don't want EVs, a lot of Americans can't afford EVs. It will make our country more dependent on communist China which we definitely don't need to be doing. What they're doing in California, Newsom and Biden have partnered up, they are requiring these big rigs to be electric. And so, we're at the Port of Long Beach, this is very important to be able to move product for the entire country's economy. These big rigs, they go, like 100 miles on an electric, then they've got to do a charge. It is totally, totally ridiculous. So, I'm going to come in as president, we're going to reverse all of those Biden EV mandates, we're going to save the American automobile. You want to buy a Ford F-150, you should be able to buy a normal Ford F-150 But if the car companies can make what people actually want, that's how you're going to end up saving and expanding those jobs. And heaven forbid bid if they end up getting away with the EVs on the big rigs. That will impact our supply chain, that will hurt inflation, that will hurt our economy. It's putting ideology ahead of anything that's practical, and I think the truckers were really excited we were there to shine a light on some of the insanity that's going on out California.

On why he is the best candidate to beat Biden:

We need somebody that can serve two terms. We need somebody that can win states like Georgia and Arizona, which President Trump cannot do or did not do, even though candidates like McCain and Romney had no problem winning those states. We need somebody who, and I'm the only one running, including Donald Trump, everything I've promised the voters that I would do as Governor of Florida, I've delivered on. We delivered budget surpluses, paying down debt, tax cuts, school choice, parents' rights, banning sanctuary cities, expanding Second Amendment rights, all in all down the line, I promise, and I deliver. And that's really what we need, because the country is in decline. We can't just manage this decline a little bit better than the Democrats, we need to reverse the decline. But that means you have got to get in there and actually get all this stuff done. And I'm the candidate that can do that. And that's why I'm running. And I think that with all due respect to Donald Trump, we're not going to beat the Democrats by adopting Joe Biden's basement strategy. You can't just be missing an action, you have got to show up, you have got to earn people's votes and if you're not willing to do that, voters will take notice as we get closer to these contests.

On Gavin Newsom's failures in California:

They are absolutely crushing working people in California. I saw gas over $7 a gallon for regular unleaded in parts of California. They have some of the highest, if not the highest taxes in the United States, and that hits middle income people with high sales tax and high income tax. They have huge amounts of government intervention in the economy which makes it very difficult for small businesses to be able to thrive. And that's why you've seen California lose population under this governor for the first time in the entire state's history. Maria, I was born and raised in Florida. I never saw a California license plate in my life growing up. In fact, I served in the military out of naval amphibious base Coronado in southern California, beautiful area, great weather. I understood as a naval officer why people wanted to live there. Yet I become governor, and we start seeing all these California license plates in the state of Florida, and a lot of my voters got a little concerned because they didn't know if they were going to vote the same way Californians vote. It turns out they were disaffected from the policies, the COVID lockdowns, the schools doing indoctrination, denying parents' rights, the crime. We went to a number of events and met with people. My wife and I ran into six or seven people that had been mugged in the last year in southern California. When has that ever been acceptable? So, I think they're getting all of the big things wrong. Their streets are not safe because they've indulged in leftist ideology, the economy is really difficult for working people because they're putting left wing agenda over the wellbeing of people who are working hard.

On the importance of showing up and earning the nomination:

You show up, you make the case. You don't mail it in, you don't go missing an action. You meet voters on the ground in the early states, Iowa, New Hampshire in particular, and tell them about the future of the country and why you're the best candidate. And so, I think that I'll be the guy. I have been the most dependable leader the Republican Party's had in recent years. I've delivered, I haven't just talked, and that's what we need in Washington. The time for excuses is over 2024 is make or break. We're not getting a mulligan on this one. We either get the job done, or we're going to be in a hole in this country for the next generation.