DeSantis Campaign Press Release - ICYMI: Ron DeSantis at the Moms for Liberty Summit: "We will pull the levers that we have available to us to be able to defend the rights of parents."

This morning, Governor DeSantis attended the Moms for Liberty Summit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he spoke about how he has protected parental rights and defended the innocence of children in Florida and would do so for the nation as President.

HIGHLIGHTS:

** On how being a parent to three young children shapes his approach to protecting kids: **

*"We've done so much on these issues in Florida and I will do all this as the next president. I see the issue not just through the lens of a governor, or a presidential candidate. I see these issues through the lens of a dad of a 6, a 5, and a 3-year-old. My wife and I really believe that parents in this country should be able to send their kids to school, should be able to let them watch cartoons, or just be kids without having some agenda shoved down their throats." *

On Florida legislation that stopped the sexualization of children in schools:

"We've also leaned in on, and it's sad that we even have to discuss this, but the idea that you would instruct a second-grade student that they that their gender is a choice or that they were born in the wrong body, is wrong. And in Florida, we took a stand against that. We said we're not going to have the sexualization of our children in our schools. And I'll tell you parents across Florida, regardless of party, they appreciated that. They want their kids focused on math, and reading, and key subjects. They don't want an agenda imposed, particularly things that are inappropriate for school children, like gender ideology."

On Florida legislation that gives parents the right to direct their children's education:

"We have enacted a Parent's Bill of Rights in the state of Florida because we understand that the purpose of our school systems are to support the communities, to support students, and parents; it is not to supersede the rights of parents. Parents, parents have a fundamental right to direct the education and upbringing of their children and that means being involved in what is being taught in their school. It also means that every parent in this country should be able to have the wherewithal to send their kid to the school of their choice. We've made that a reality in Florida."

DeSantis also participated in a fireside chat with Moms for Liberty co-founder, Tiffany Justice.

**On what it's like being a father while running for President: **

"It's funny, because at same time, we're out there doing this [campaigning], but we're parents and we're dealing with kids just like anyone... and we did it with Governor too. I used to take the kids to press conferences. I mean, I would literally be at the press conference on COVID, and I'd have my son Mason or my daughter Madison just hanging out by the podium, just watching and it's because my wife and I, we just want to spend as much time with them as possible. And so we can bring the family when we're going. It's great. I think it is good experiences for them. But a lot of it for us is just --I always try to be home anytime I'm doing stuff in Florida. I always just try to be home in time for dinner, right after dinner, be able to put them to bed and then be there the next morning. And so we're juggling all that. My wife is a superstar, some of you know her and she does a great job. "

**On how he will protect the fundamental rights of parents: **

"We will pull the levers that we have available to us to be able to defend the rights of parents. Part of being an executive is you're not just the head of a company. You're the head of one branch of government, but there's checks and balances. There's different constitutional authorities. So you need to know what levers are available to you, what type of leverage you have to be able to bring these things into fruition. Some will be through executive. There's things you can do through federal agencies, like for example, to protect women's sports, and not have gender ideology in the bat--there's definitely things you can do on those. There's things that Congress, we're going to need to do to be able to do that. So we have a good understanding going in on day one what all those authorities are, and we'll pull the levers that we need to."

On how Florida has stopped the indoctrination of children in classrooms:

"I think educating the public on what's going on is important. We have not done that enough. We've done it some in Florida. Buckle your seat belts, we're going to be doing that across this country. So just be prepared, be ready for that... we just want education, right? If you're trying to impose an agenda, we are going to reject the book. So give it to us straight and what happens is because we have such a big population, a lot of these companies have made changes that then make the book a normal schoolbook, but this is going in all directions. And if you don't have kind of a united front against it, it is absolutely going to end up winning the day. Very, very insidious, but I think part of it is conservatives have allowed the left--they just said 'Oh, education is for the left and we don't really care about that.' No, no, no. I'm fighting on all this ground to do what's right, and we have to do that."