DeSantis Campaign Press Release - Ron DeSantis on The Ingraham Angle

"When she (Haley) gets off script, she tends to make big mistakes."

Des Moines, IA - Ron DeSantis joined Jason Chaffetz live on The Ingraham Angle. The highlights are below.

Watch the full interview HERE.

On Nikki Haley's Civil War gaffe:

Well, it was a massive word salad. I still don't understand what she was trying to say with that, or why she would have gone down that road. I don't know. Look, we're Republicans. The Republican Party was founded to oppose slavery and its expansion. And the reason slavery got abolished in the United States was because of the Republican Party, and the election of Abraham Lincoln, in what happened in the ensuing years. And I'm glad that the role of the Republican Party played in exterminating slavery from the United States. That made us more in line with the values that the country was founded on-- that we're all entitled to God given rights, and we should be treated equally under the law. But I do think what it showed is...I think she says things when she gets off script. She tends to make big mistakes. The media has really given her a free pass for the last six weeks, trying to pump her up. But I think the more and more voters see that-- it's one thing to read off a teleprompter. It's one thing to read talking points. But you're going to have to be able to actually speak from a position of conviction. And you either understand the foundations of America, or you don't. I have a firm understanding that our rights come from God, not from the government and the purpose of government is to protect the rights we already possess. And so everything I do is seen through the prism of our nation's founding principles.

On Donald Trump being removed from the ballot in Maine:

The idea that one bureaucrat in an executive position can simply unilaterally disqualify someone from office, that turns on its head every notion of constitutional due process that this country has always abided by for over 200 years. It opens up Pandora's Box. Can you have a Republican Secretary of State disqualify Biden from the ballot because he's led in 8 million people illegally in a massive invasion, including from enemies of our country? Places like Iran, China, and the Middle East have poured in with his knowledge and assent basically. So it really opens up Pandora's box. I don't think that this ultimately will be legally sustained by the US Supreme Court. But I do think that this is going to be a constant throughout the election year where there's going to be different parts of these legal cases that are going to be front and center. I think that we win when we hold Biden accountable and talk about the issues that matter to the American people. So I think the Democrats, they want the election to be about all these other issues, they do not want to face accountability for their failed policies.

On draining the swamp and holding bureaucrats accountable:

One of the reasons I'm running is because the midterm election showed while Republicans failed throughout most of the country in Florida, we won the biggest victory in the history of the state for Republican running for governor. I think that a guy like me as the nominee will be able to keep the focus on Biden, keep the focus on the Democrats failures. But then more importantly, after you win the election, start holding these people accountable who have weaponized the legal system to go after their political enemies. And that starts with on day one, firing somebody like Jack Smith, that goes to dealing with people who are violating constitutional rights at the state and local government area. Republicans have turned a blind eye to abuses of power for far too long. We need to actually do something about it. In Florida, we've actually done things. We've held people accountable. And we've drained the swamp in a major way. We need that in the United States.

On fighting the Miami teacher's union:

Well, one, they are partisan organizations. Now they're trying to use our schools to impose a left-wing agenda. That's totally unacceptable. What we did in Florida is we said no automatic deduction of union dues, so if someone wants to join, they can write a check and hand it over. What that's done is that's caused fewer people to want to join. So down in Miami Dade County, massive urban school district, massive teacher union, historically very powerful, they failed to get the requisite 60%. So they are now going to be decertified. That is going to put more power in the hands of parents. It's going to be good for students. And here's the thing, I don't need the unions to do things for education. I've done billions of dollars and pay increases for teachers. I'm happy to support our teachers. But we don't want the union's political agenda polluting our schools.