Ron DeSantis, governor of the free state of Florida, took a pointed jab at New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani during remarks commemorating Victims of Communism Day on Friday.
Victims of Communism Day was established in the Sunshine State in 2022, but takes on special meaning this year following Mamdani's victory in the election earlier this week.
An appropriate state nickname for one that wants to cast sunlight on the deadly perils of Communism, long suppressed by an education system that helped deliver ignorant voters to Mamdani in droves.
"We remember the 100 million killed at the hands of Marxist-Leninist regimes and laud those who bravely fought to break free from communism," DeSantis (R) wrote on X. "We must ensure that young people appreciate the destructiveness of communist ideology."
Apart from being simply a day to commemorate the millions of victims of a deadly political and economic ideology, it is an opportunity to educate. The bill, signed into law by DeSantis in 2022, directs schools to develop comprehensive instruction on the history of communism beginning with the 2026–2027 school year.
"We must ensure the students learn the lessons of history, recognize the destructiveness of Marxism—Leninism, and appreciate the founding principles of the American republic," the governor said in a statement.
Today in the state of Florida it is Victims of Communism Day.
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) November 7, 2025
We remember the 100 million killed at the hands of Marxist-Leninist regimes and laud those who bravely fought to break free from communism.
We must ensure that young people appreciate the destructiveness of…
READ MORE: Watch - Reporter Confronts Hakeem Jeffries About Mamdani Being Future of the Democrat Party
There Were Some More Troubling Aspects of That Mamdani Victory Speech
Unfortunately, knowledge of the destructiveness of communism has been lost on Mamdani voters, whether out of sheer ignorance or willful ignorance. DeSantis highlighted the significance of Victims of Communism Day in light of recent events.
"We just had a guy elected in New York City—elected the mayor," he said at a speech observing the solemn day. "You know, I came up to the podium and I quoted Ronald Reagan, he came up to the podium and quoted a guy named Eugene V. Debs, who was a communist."
RedState reporter Nick Arama highlighted Mamdani's "troubling" victory speech that mentioned Debs, a famous socialist who was arrested in 1918 under the Espionage Act and sentenced to ten years in federal prison, before having his sentence commuted by President Warren Harding.
“The sun may have set over our city this evening,” Mamdani said to supporters. “But as Eugene Debs once said, ‘I can see the dawn of a better day for humanity.’”
The irony here is that the communist's reign is set to plunge the city that never sleeps into a dark hellscape.
Historical estimates attribute approximately 100 million deaths to communist regimes in the 20th century, including 20 million under Stalin's Soviet Union, 65 million under Mao's China, and millions more in Cambodia, North Korea, and Eastern Europe.
Florida knows the scourge all too well.
The communist regime in Cuba has inflicted suffering through systematic human rights abuses, including political repression, arbitrary detentions, and suppression of free speech. Not to mention chronic economic stagnation marked by shortages and poverty that have driven mass humanitarian crises, and driven those fleeing the oppression to Florida's shores.
"I can't think of a place in this country that has a more instinctive understanding of the dangers of communism than we have in our South Florida communities," DeSantis said.
New York City residents didn't seem to grasp those basic facts on Election Day. And now, people relocating to Florida won't just be coming from Cuba. Nearly one million residents have indicated that they would "definitely" flee New York City now that Mamdani will be in charge.
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