Florida - Tuesday November 29, 2022: The Republican leadership in the Florida Legislature has confirmed that they're willing to change Florida law to ease the path for Governor DeSantis to run for President.
Under current Florida law, the Governor would have to resign if he publicly declared his candidacy for President, and since there is no guarantee he’d win, he’d be out of a job if he lost.
However, in remarks to the media after she was sworn in as Florida Senate President last week, Kathleen Passidomo said she would favor changing that law. “If an individual who is a Florida governor is running for president, I think he should be allowed to do it. I really do," said Passidomo. "That’s a big honor and a privilege, so it is a good idea.”
Florida House Speaker Paul Renner has also said it would be a “good idea” to make it clear that DeSantis would not have to resign as Governor if ran for President.
Governor DeSantis has not declared, but during a news conference awarding $5.5 million for an infrastructure project in Jacksonville, Tuesday morning, DeSantis sounded off on a foreign policy issue, condemning the Chinese Government for repressing protests over Beijing’s zero Covid policy.
“This CCP has a maniacal desire to exert total control over its population," said the Governor. "The people in China are finally speaking out against it. And I just think that we need these draconian Covid polices to go to the ash-heap of history where they belong.”
DeSantis then took a shot at Apple for cooperating with the Chinese government’s effort to suppress the protests by denying access to its air-drop function which protestors have been using to spread the word about their demonstrations. At the same time that they are cooperating with the Chinese government's effort to suppress freedom, the Governor cited reports that Apple was considering dropping the Twitter app from the Apple store after Elon Musk restored some previously banned accounts, including former President Trump's account.
“Don’t be a vassal of the CCP on the one hand," said DeSantis about Apple, "and then use your corporate power in the United States on the other to suffocate Americans and try to suppress their rights to express themselves.”
The Governor’s possible presidential ambitions would put him in conflict with another Floridian, former President Donald Trump.
When Senate President Passidomo was asked who she would favor in that possible showdown, she said, with a smile, "What?, What?", pretending not to hear the question.