Ron DeSantis was one of the many Republican presidential candidates who addressed the Republican Jewish Coalition Summit Saturday in Las Vegas.
DeSantis began his speech with the topic at the front of everyone's minds, especially the people in that room - Hamas' barbarous attacks on Israeli civilians.
On Oct 7th we witnessed a level of barbarity that had not been seen in recent decades...
What these Hamas terrorists did by butchering babies, by mutilating people, by taking elderly hostage, this reached a new depth for the depravity of mankind.
If these barbarians had their way, they would try to do a second Holocaust right in our own time. That is the stakes of what we are facing with the Hamas attack on the State of Israel.
DeSantis took action to help Americans stranded in Israel when our own government was nearly useless.
And yet the State Department was no help, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem was no help, and the Biden administration was dragging its feet. We issued an executive order and we provided planes to send to Israel and to bring people back to the United States, to safety.
And how sad is it that the best the Biden administration could do was to dump people in Greece? They have to just somehow find a way home from Greece. And then the Biden administration sent them a bill for the trip to Greece. But you know if you come across our border illegally, Biden will fly you all over this country free of charge. He'll put you in hotels free of charge...
DeSantis reiterated his view that people in this country on student visas who are publicly supporting a terrorist group like Hamas should have their student visas canceled - and that he would do that if elected.
And it's really appalling what's happened in a lot of American universities in response to the Hamas terror attacks. Before the blood was even dry on the Israelis who were massacred, you had college students going out and demonstrating in favor of Hamas....
But I said very clearly that when I'm president, if you are in our country on a student visa and you're making common cause with Hamas, I am canceling your visa and I am sending you home, where you belong.
He also made it clear that he doesn't care what the "imbeciles" on a college campus say, what the U.N. says, or what people in the media say; that in a DeSantis administration, the United States will have Israel's back.
🔥🔥 from @RonDeSantis at the @RJC Summit:
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) October 28, 2023
"I don’t care what some imbeciles on a college campus say.
I don’t care what liars in the media say.
I don’t care what reprobates at the United Nations say.
We stand with Israel! The United States will have their back!" pic.twitter.com/NOYrbZQwHj
The governor has been more subdued on the campaign trail than he has been with journalists in Florida, but during this speech he was much more fiery, touting himself as the leader that other candidates follow.
And I was the first presidential candidate to say, and I know a lot of them have now said the same, but no one -- you know, I'm always first and then people kinda follow through. That's how we governed Florida, and that's how we are in this.
DeSantis didn't mention the quickly narrowing field of Republican candidates. In the last week Perry Johnson and Larry Elder both exited the race, endorsing Trump as they dropped out. Earlier Saturday former Vice President Mike Pence announced at the RJC that he was dropping out, but didn't endorse anyone. DeSantis had tweeted complimentary sentiments about Pence prior to his speech, though.
Vice President Mike Pence is a principled man of faith who has worked tirelessly to advance the conservative cause. Casey and I appreciate Mike and Karen for their willingness to put themselves forward in this campaign and wish the Pence family well in their next steps.
His full speech can be viewed below.
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