Ron DeSantis and Kim Reynolds Speak at a Rally in Des Moines Transcript

Please welcome State Representative Hans Wilzs.

Nice. Hey, let’s give it up for our band tonight, all the way from Deep River, Iowa, Tyler Richton and the High Bank Boys. Nice. I asked them for one quote this evening and they said, “This is going to be way cool.” So they’re a little bit younger than us, but I’ll tell you what it is going to be way cool, and we’re here tonight for a great reason. Of course you heard, my name is Hans Wilz. I’m from Ottumwa, Iowa. I represent District 25. Thank you.

(00:42)
We’re here tonight for an amazing event, kick off a lot of great things. We’re here to hear from a fantastic group of Republican leaders here in the state and from abroad, but let’s not forget that one of the best processes in these United States is the Iowa Caucus. That’s right. And we as Iowans can all be involved and have our voices heard, and we can do that by going out and signing up to caucus for Ron DeSantis.

(01:10)
We have cards here throughout the event. On the way out, of course, sign up. One thing Iowans do the best of anybody else in this country is get involved in our political races to make sure the voices are heard from the people. So why are we here? Well, we have a debate coming up in Miami and we want to send Ron DeSantis off with all the energy that Iowans have to offer. So when he goes to Miami, he feels the power of Iowa and the support that he has here.

(01:44)
Also, let’s not forget we want to put a first family in the White House, a great first family in the White House. We also want to make sure we put a person and a candidate that can get things done, and that’s Ron DeSantis. When we think about it, there’s a man that speaks the truth. He said, “I’m going to hit all 99 counties.” He’s keeping his word. He’s a man of the people, and that’s what we need in our White House.

(02:21)
As you look at the support that we have in this room but throughout this campaign, we have 41 endorsements from state legislators. 41 endorsements. We have 120 county level supporting Ron DeSantis, 120 county level supporters. Unless we forget, we have all of you supporting Ron DeSantis. I wanted to dispel any rumors out there that Governor Reynolds is here to endorse me because honestly, she’s not.

(03:02)
It’s a much, much bigger picture and we’re going to unveil that this evening for you as the night goes on. It’s going to be a blast, but you did not come here to listen to me. I guarantee that. In fact, most of you had no idea it’s going to be here. So let’s get this party started thanks to the band and let’s kick this thing off and give it up the band, the event, and Ron DeSantis. That’s absolutely right. I love the energy in this room. Amen. Well, we as good Republicans like to start things off with a prayer and Pastor Sean Culley is going to come up here and do that for us, but I want to remind you that the pastor is running for a school board position here in the Des Moines area. It’s also a very good reminder throughout the state, we’ll be voting tomorrow.

(03:56)
You need to get out and vote for your favorite Republican that fits his seat so they can help you in your county, your city, and here in the state. Please welcome to the podium Pastor Sean Coley.

Y’all are excited? Would you pray with me? Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your presence in this place. We thank you that your word says where two or three are gathered, you are here with them and there’s definitely more than that in this room. We thank you that there are a multitude of godly people here who believe in the truth of your word and that your word is the truth with which we can build our families.

(04:40)
We can build our schools, our communities, and ultimately our nation because your word never fails. It is the anchor that we tie ourselves to in the storm and the light that shines out the darkness. We pray that you as our rock and our light will continue to lead and guide our country back to you. That as we lift up the name of Jesus, it would draw all men to yourself.

(05:05)
We pray for our leaders who are doing that right now, leaders like Governor Reynolds and Governor DeSantis. That as they stand up for what’s right, you’d strengthen their resolve to fight for the truth. That no attack from the enemy would prosper against them. That their campaigns and their families would be successful. Not only that, but would you take what the enemy means to harm them and force it to bless them?

(05:29)
God, we ask that you would bless Governor DeSantis with favor in every area of his life, in his time, in his health, in his finances, and in his relationships. Give him everything he needs to fight for the conservative values that our country so desperately needs. Lastly, Lord, would you send revival back to our country. Revival, to our homes, to our school houses our state houses and our federal buildings.

(05:54)
Give our leaders like Governor Reynolds and Governor DeSantis, the wisdom to lead with truth and grace. In Jesus’ name, every believer said, “Amen.” (Singing)

Well, just like every great event should start in these United States. The next person to come to this stage will lead us in our Pledge of Allegiance. He’s a retired Marine, he’s a state representative and I’m proud to call him friend. Please welcome Representative Steve Holt. (Singing)

Good evening. As we gather this evening to support a man that we know will stand up for our freedom and our constitution. Let’s remember that Veterans Day is just a few days away. And as we say our pledge, could we please think about the freedom and sacrifice made for so many so we could stand here this evening? Would you join me in the pledge?

(07:04)
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. God bless. (singing)

Good news, this is the last time I will come to the podium because there’s a lot more important people tonight that we want to hear from. Tonight, the last person to come to the podium before I step off, some people may call him one of my bosses, but I call him a friend. He has a willingness to lead and find the right path forward. It is my honor to introduce to you, “The Beard,” Majority Leader for the great state of Iowa, Matt Windschit. ( singing)

Well, good evening everyone. Thank you for coming out. Thank you for being at this event. It’s going to be a historic night. Now my remarks are going to be brief because as Hans said, you didn’t come out here to hear me. My name’s Matt Windschit. I am the majority leader of the Iowa House. I come from deep red Western Iowa and I’ve been in the Iowa House for 17 years now. So let me tell you why my wife and I made the decision to endorse Governor DeSantis and do so early on.

(08:32)
When we first made the decision to run for public office back 17 years ago, we were looking at our children. Well, at that point it was just our oldest daughter. Our second one came during the first year I was in office, but we were looking at the future for our children and we knew that we needed to try and make a difference. And so we made the decision to try and make the world a better, brighter place for our kids by being in public service.

(08:53)
Well, this year as we looked at the large slate of candidates that are out there, we looked at what’s going on in our country. We looked at what’s going on globally. We knew we needed a leader that was going to be focused on the future for our children, our grandchildren focused on us and what this country needs. And there was one candidate that stood out above the rest.

(09:12)
One candidate that made promises, kept those promises, and has demonstrated that he’s out there fighting for your freedoms, your individual liberties and stands on constitutional principles. One man that is looking forward, not behind. That’s Governor Ron DeSantis, and that’s why my wife and I made the decision to endorse him. Now, the other thing that’s important in this race, Governor DeSantis is the only, only candidate that has worn a uniform serving our country.

(09:38)
And as a Marine Corps veteran myself, I find that immensely important as we look at what’s happening across our world. We need someone that has put on that uniform and has served our country honorably. There’s no other question in my mind, Governor DeSantis is the right person at the right time that can lead this country forward, can lead this world forward and can make America the best it possibly can for our children and our grandchildren.

(10:11)
So next up, as I close up my remarks here, I’m going to welcome to the stage a fellow conservative colleague, a rockstar in the state Senate, Senate President Amy Sinclair. Come on up.

Hello, Iowa. I’m so excited to be here tonight. I’ve got notes somewhere. We’ll see if I stick to them. You guys want me to stick to them, otherwise we might wander a bit. What an exciting night. What an exciting night we have here. As Representative Windschit, as Matt said, I’m Amy Sinclair. I am the Iowa Senate president and I’m the state co-chair for Ron DeSantis.

(10:54)
And I’ll be honest, even just a year ago, I would not have imagined myself getting involved in the presidential primary process at all. So many people have asked me, that’s why I’m here tonight. So many people have asked me why I chose to get involved, why I chose Governor DeSantis and why I endorsed him so early on. The answer’s pretty simple. He’s the best candidate for the job.

(11:20)
As Matt described, when I started looking at the field of candidates, and it’s a broad field of candidates. We’ve got some great candidates out there, but when I started looking at that field of candidates, I knew I wanted someone who was looking to America’s future and not constantly caught up in the past. I knew I wanted someone with a proven track record of accomplishing the hard things, not constantly caving to criticism.

(11:43)
I knew I wanted someone who knows about getting elected in a tough contest who’s not constantly blaming others for the failure. Governor Ron DeSantis is all those things and so much more. So much more. Let’s talk about that. When we look at his accomplishments and compare them with what Matt and I and all the other legislators. Hi guys. And all the other legislators here tonight and across the state of Iowa, the things that we’ve done to move Iowa forward.

(12:17)
Governor DeSantis record looks a lot like ours. Do you all think we’ve done a good job moving Iowa in the right direction? Both Iowa and Florida took on the nanny state who wanted to ignore science and shut down our nation. Iowa and Florida stayed open for business. And the economies of both our states are strong. Both Iowa and Florida push back on the narrative, the kids would be just fine missing a few months of school, missing out on their educations.

(12:58)
Iowa and Florida were the first to say, “No more.” Kids need to be in their classrooms learning. The test scores prove we were right. We were right not to cave to fear. Both Iowa and Florida fought for the rights of parents to choose the best way and the best place to educate their children. We made our public classrooms transparent and we opened up options for families and the rankings now have Florida for the second year in a row, number one best state for education.

(13:36)
I’m so excited. I’m on a roll. Bear with me a little bit longer. Both Iowa and Florida said government spending’s out of control. Taxes are too high. Both Iowa and Florida cut taxes and kept our budgets balanced. It’s working out for Iowans and it’s working for Floridians and it should work for our nation. Both Iowa and Florida said girls shouldn’t compete against boys in their athletics and they shouldn’t have to share their private spaces.

(14:12)
We said, “No.” We said, “No more.” Our girls deserve better and we’re going to do what it takes to keep them safe. Both Iowa and Florida said children shouldn’t be subjected to irreversible consequences of sex change treatments. It’s no different than saying no to tattooing a 17-year-old or saying no to selling alcohol to a high school kid. It’s no different.

(14:42)
And Iowa and Florida both regulated the practice of doctors medically transitioning minors until these kids are at least old enough to be able to legally consent to the consequences. Both Iowa and Florida have proven that we can stop the decline of our American society if we push back on the swampy political establishment. And we stop speaking in the language of the politically correct and we reject the nonsense that is woke ideology.

(15:22)
So you ask me again tonight, why do you support Ron DeSantis? Well, he has proven that he will never back down. When the fight for our nation is at hand, as he did in Florida, he will fulfill every single promise he’s making to you. He will fulfill every single promise for our nation. He has proven that he can beat Joe Biden just as he turned Florida red in four short years.

(15:53)
And he has proven that he has a plan to restore our economy and secure our borders and focus our military and law enforcement

On Mission first. Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, I’m proud to stand up here before you as an unrepentant supporter of the Governor of the great state of Florida and the next President of the United States of America, Ron DeSantis. What a great night. And it gets even better than that because I have the distinct privilege and honor of introducing his partner in this process, and quite frankly, the finest first lady in the nation. Ladies and Gentlemen, Casey DeSantis.

Good to see you. Man, I’ll tell you what, Amy’s a tough act to follow I’ll tell you that. But how are you doing Des Moines? It’s good to see you. Are you already to elect the next President of the United States? Are you ready to elect a president who will usher in our great American comeback? This is a man who isn’t afraid to take on the big fights and win. A president, no matter how hard they come after him, he never backs down. A president who will lead this country with energy, youth, and vigor, and who will spit nails on day one, hit the ground running and never look back. A president who conducts himself with integrity, character, principles, morals and humility, a President of the United States who can actually find his way from Marine One to the White House. What a concept. And how about electing a President of the United States whose kids aren’t embroiled in pay for play allegations with foreign nations? It would be refreshing to have a President of the United States with a loving young family, a symbol of hope for the country’s future. And it’s an honor to be here. And truly, it is an honor for me to introduce somebody that I would call an inspiration, a role model, a hero, and our friend. I’ve had conversations with her many times about the great Ronald Reagan. We’ve talked about the similarities between the end of the Carter administration and what we’re facing today and how the late 1970s ushered in one of the greatest presidents in American history. And we’ve talked about Reagan’s quote, what he said when he said, “We are no more than one generation away from losing America”. But sadly, at this point in our nation’s history, I fear that we are one election away from losing America.

(19:07)
The Great American experiment is not guaranteed. The only way to save her is for courageous Americans to stand up and to defend her unique qualities when it counts. Only through courageous leadership can our inherent rights be preserved when our foundations are under assault. No instance could be more clear in my mind than what this country went through and endured during COVID. I watched as a federal government and unaccountable bureaucracy impose their unscientific will upon the American people with no accountability and no recourse. But I also watched in the midst of the storm, as a few lone voices emerged in opposition, glimmers of hope and shining beacons of light on the hill. They began to pierce through the chaos. And one of those places just so happened to be in the heart of America, an outpost of freedom we lovingly call Iowa.

(20:13)
I tell you what, I watched from afar as your courageous governor Kim Reynolds battled against the elites and battled against their accepted narrative at the time. I watched her fight for freedom, for sanity, for children, for teachers, for students, for families. And when the world went mad, she stood in the breach for the people of her state. And when the world went after her, she stood strong for truth. We will only survive as a country if we have courageous leaders like Governor Kim Reynolds willing to lay it all out on the line to defend what she knows to be right. And that brings us here today as her courage knows no bounds.

(21:04)
While many may look at the presidential process as a spectator sport, a chance to watch from the sidelines from a safe space as politics plays out and our nation declines. Others look at these moments and ask themselves what’s in it for me? Few courageous, selfless leaders stick their necks out there and they fight for what is right even when it may not be politically convenient. Courageous leaders ignore threats of retaliation and dismiss false promises. They put themselves in the arena, sometimes alone and they fight. They fight when it matters.

(21:52)
Armed with a shield of faith, they put the country ahead of themselves knowing we all have such a short amount of time on this planet and a very small window to be able to do good. It would be very easy for Governor Kim Reynolds, the most popular, many would say, and most well liked governor in the modern history of Iowa, the winner of a nearly 20 point election landslide, one that she won in her own right because of her accomplishments and her leadership. She could sit this out, she could sit on the sidelines and she could opine and she could not put herself into the arena. But as you all well know, that is not Governor Kim Reynolds. Not one bit. Our nation would be a better place if we had more Governor Kim Reynolds in it and that is a fact. And it’s with that, that I am honored and privileged to introduce to you someone who needs no introduction here, it is your wonderful governor, your courageous governor, governor Kim Reynolds.

Are we ready? Are we fired up and ready to go? Casey, Casey, thank you so much for that incredibly nice introduction. She is an amazing first lady. They are a dynamic duo if I have ever seen one. I am telling you they won’t be outworked. And hey, Casey, from one Walmart shopper to another, you rock. Thanks for being here. This is an incredible crowd, especially on a Monday night. So it’s one of the things that I love so much about Iowa, you are here because you care. You care about our country, you care about our state, and you care about our freedoms. You show up because you know how important this election is, and you know without a doubt the critical role that you play.

(24:20)
Every four years, we have such a unique opportunity to vet the presidential candidates, not just on TV or some far away rally, but up close, in coffee shops, in schools, in events just like this one. We get to shake their hand, we get to look them in the eye, and we get to know them on a personal level. And that is an opportunity that we as Iowans take very seriously. And quite honestly, I don’t think that it’s ever been more important, at least in my lifetime.

(24:54)
When we look at what is happening to our country, it is almost unrecognizable. Crime out of control. Terrorists are coming across the border. Over 6 million illegal immigrants have invaded our homeland. Fentanyl is flooding our streets and killing our children. Government spending is out of control. Inflation is crushing families. And here’s the most amazing thing, the Democrats are bold enough to tell you that Bidenomics is actually working. And that’s just here at home.

(25:34)
Okay, so we go outside of our borders, Hamas is committing unspeakable atrocities against the people of Israel. Iran, the nation backing these savages, is attacking our troops and all the while China is watching and waiting. So on caucus night, on January 15th, we’re in trouble, but we are resilient. We can turn this country around. But if we don’t get this next election right, if we don’t choose right, we are not going to get this country back. So we have to do everything we can to make the right choice. Not only do we need to make sure that we elect someone who can win and beat Joe Biden, we need a president who has the skill and the resolve to reverse the madness that we see every single day.

(26:40)
We need someone who will fight for you and win for you. We need someone who won’t get distracted but will stay disciplined, who puts this country first and not himself. That leader, that leader is Ron DeSantis. So, I have a little bit of a unique perspective, as governor I’ve seen it. I was there with him during one of the most challenging and crazy times in our history. And while COVID might seem like a thing of the past and that it’s behind us, and believe me, we hope it is, we should not and we cannot forget because it showed us how our leaders respond to a true crisis. And more importantly, it tells us how they’ll respond to the next one, and there will be a next one. The pressure to shut down, to “shelter in place”, to keep our kids out of school, was unbelievable. And it came from every corner, even from the White House. Most leaders, they buckled under that pressure. They listened to Fauci instead of the real science. But there was one man running for president who did not. Ron DeSantis.

(28:15)
When the liberals and media came after him, he stood his ground. When the Trump administration let Fauci lead their response, Ron had the courage to say, not in Florida. But here’s another thing that sets Ron apart. He didn’t just fight to fight. He stood his ground because he dug into the issues. He actually hired and listened to some of the best people to make sure that he was acting on real science and not fear. And that is how this man handles every issue. Ron is focused. He is principled, he is results driven. And in short, what I love most about Ron is he gets things done.

(29:18)
To be honest, to be quite honest, he is one of the most effective leaders that I have ever seen. This is a man who, when a hurricane struck his state, he cut through red tape and built a bridge in a matter of days. Now, listen, I’m a governor that’s dealt with disasters. That is incredible. Not only can he be strategic and have a plan together, he knows how to execute it. And at a time when the world is spinning out of control, that is what we should be looking for in a president, someone who gets results, who devotes every single ounce of their energy to make our lives better, someone who’s honest and who actually knows what it’s like to be sent to war. Someone that knows when life begins and thinks it’s a beautiful thing to save a beating heart.

(30:39)
Someone who calls out our moral decline for what it is, who looks to the future and not the past. Someone who most importantly can win. And that person is Ron DeSantis. And it’s why I am so proud to stand here tonight and give him my full support and endorsement for President of the United States of America. I’m fired up. Ron and I were both elected in a tough election cycle in 2018, and we both ushered in a red wave in 2022. We got to know… Yeah, yeah, it’s a good thing. There wasn’t a lot of them, but by gosh, our states did. We got to know each other during the pandemic, and we’ve gotten to know each other even better since. I’ve respected his leadership from the beginning. But what I’ve come to respect even more is Ron the husband and the father.

Getting to know Casey and watching her and Ron with her children tells me everything that I need to know about why Ron is who he is and accomplishes what he does, because you don’t do something like this on your own. I certainly don’t.

(32:16)
Kevin is my rock, and my kids and my grandchildren are what drive me. They support me and they keep me grounded and they keep me centered. I can tell that Casey and the kids do the same for Ron.

(32:31)
I remember when I first had the opportunity to meet Casey and she shared about her battle with cancer and how Ron was right there by her side, how he would come home from a day of being governor, of running a state, only to be handed a kid in each arm and told here you go, you get to take it from here. You know? What he did. That’s real life. If we, as elected leaders, become detached from it, we certainly lose our way.

(33:01)
As many of you know, life is happening to our family as well. About a month ago, Kevin was diagnosed with cancer and he’s doing well. For those of you who know Kevin, you would expect nothing less. Our first dude is the strongest guy I know. We have been blessed and overwhelmed by all the support, the prayers, the calls, the texts, and the visits. We were both very touched by a visit from someone who’s been there. Two weeks ago, Casey came to see us. Now, this is a mom of three whose husband is running for president and leading a state, and she still took the time to come see us. Casey, I want you to know how much that meant to both of us. We are both so truly grateful for your friendship and your prayers, so thank you very much for taking the time to come see us.

(34:15)
Now, I’ve thought long and hard about making this decision about telling Iowans and telling you where I stand. It has been my honor to welcome all of the candidates to Iowa over the past seven months. I have had the opportunity to speak with them publicly and privately, on the phone and at events, and as many of you saw, at the best state fair in the country with our fair side chats.

(34:47)
We have a great group of Republicans that have stepped up, that put their lives on hold and their livelihoods on the line to help get this country back on track. We owe each of them a debt of gratitude.

(35:02)
As governor, I felt like it was my responsibility to provide all of the candidates a platform to share their message and vision with Iowans and help put their best foot forward. But I also believe that as a mom, and as a grandma, and as an American, I could not and cannot sit on the sidelines any longer.

(35:28)
We are living in unprecedented times and there is just too much at stake. Our country is in trouble. The world is a powder keg, and I’m here to tell you without a doubt that Ron DeSantis is the person that we need leading this country. Ron is the person who will fight for you, Ron is the person who will not back down, who will have the moral conviction to do what’s right and the ability to actually do what he promises.

(36:23)
All you have to do, and please do, look at Governor DeSantis’ record. Look what he has done as governor of the state of Florida. It is for all these reasons, a bold, unwavering leader, a fighter, a winner, a father, a husband, a man of honor and with your help, a year from now, Ron DeSantis will beat Joe Biden and be the next President of the United States of America. Please join me in welcoming Ron DeSantis, the next President of the United States.

Wow, what a speech. Thank you, Governor Reynolds, and thanks to the First Lady of Florida for a great introduction to the governor. We’re excited to be here and honored to have Governor Reynolds’ support. We’re also happy to say my wife has been making this promise to everybody. When we’re in the White House, the only thing our kids are going to be bringing back is homework, not cocaine, so don’t worry about that.

(38:10)
Governor Reynolds is one of the greatest governors in the United States, one of the greatest governors this state has ever had. Part of it is that she has a great head on her shoulders, she stands for the conservative values that we all believe in, she delivers really, really big results, but she’s been willing to do that when it’s not easy. Ultimately, that’s the test of a leader. It’s easy to lead when the wind’s at your back, it’s a little harder when you’re facing some turbulence.

(38:44)
When I was going through a lot, when we were going through with COVID, I think Kim and I were the only governors in America that forced all our schools to be open for classroom instruction for the kids. I get called a lot of things now, but I think it was worse then, and I know she got called a lot of things and we took a lot of flack for that, but everybody looks back now and knows that those were the right decisions, that those decisions have benefited kids, and the states that did the other and Fauci and all that, it was wrong.

(39:22)
She has shown an ability to stand and fight for you when it’s not easy. That’s one of the reasons why Iowa’s one of the best governed states in America, and I’m not just saying that because I’m here. I speak from experience on this. As governor of Florida, I get a window into what’s going on in this country because people visit our state, they move to our state and they tell me what’s going on.

(39:47)
If I’m in Marco Island in January, I have half the Midwest down there. When I talk to the Illinois people, they have nothing good to say about how Illinois is covered. When I talk to now Minnesota, a lot of complaints about Minnesota and many others, but when I talk to the Iowans, what they say is, “Governor, we love what you’re doing here, and we love what our governor’s doing in Iowa.” So that’s all you need to know.

(40:22)
I appreciate Governor Reynolds getting involved in the process. Look, when you do that, some people don’t like it and some people say this or that, but I think that she understands. What I understand is this country has hit the skids. This country is in a period of decline, and this is a decline that has been inflicted on this country by a lot of technocratic elites, by a lot of entrenched politicians who have taken action, borrowing, printing, spending money, and now you’re paying more for everything.

(40:55)
The interest rates are as high as they’ve been in 40 years. They have made this country less affordable, they have made it harder on families to get ahead. They’ve also left our families exposed with an open border. Fentanyl flows into our communities, and yes, terrorists have infiltrated this country because of what Biden and his minions have done.

(41:19)
They’ve also degraded our military where we’re actually running low on stocks, we can’t defend the country the way we should, and our recruiting is at a generational low. They have inflicted indoctrination on our education system, fought to strip the rights of parents, and have led to the degradation of learning in this country.

(41:43)
They have abandoned public safety in the rule of law in so many cities throughout this country where many of these places are now ungovernable, and they have empowered and facilitated a massive, unaccountable bureaucracy that has been weaponized against us and that imposes its will on us without our consent and look no further than what happened with people like Dr. Fauci during COVID-19.

(42:10)
The elite that have facilitated this country’s decline, they think everything’s just fine and dandy. They don’t care about you, they don’t care about your family, they think you should be grateful for their benevolence and their wisdom. They think that you should simply resign yourself, that this country is not going to be able to produce the outcomes it used to and you should be thankful for even those suboptimal outcomes. They just want you to sit back and let them pursue their agenda at your expense. Well, we refuse to do that any longer.

(42:47)
The decline of our country is not inevitable, it is a choice. We as Americans have the opportunity and we must choose a better path. We must reject decline. We must choose American revival. That’s exactly what I’ll do as President of the United States. What’s the philosophy? I think it’s very simple. You need a president that’s going to fight for you, you need a president that’s going to win for you, and you need a president that’s going to lead this country back to greatness. That’s what we’ll do.

(43:37)
First, you can’t be like some of these Republicans, many of them in Washington DC, that refuse to fight for our values. Any time they have an opportunity to surrender to the media, the left, or the Democrats, they simply bend the knee. We elect them to fight for us, and they refuse to come through. In Florida, in what Kim has done here in Iowa tells a different story.

(44:00)
When we had faced with COVID and I was told that what we were doing was causing me problems politically, everyone was dumping on me, people said I was making a mistake and I wasn’t going to have a future in terms of politics. I said you know what? Leadership is about caring more about protecting the jobs of the people you represent than it does about protecting your own political high. I was willing to let the chips fall where they may. I had a responsibility to the people that I represented. They had no voice. I had to be their voice, and I had to dig in, and I had to fight for them. We chose freedom over Fauci-ism, and the state has never done better as a result of that choice. Fighting also means you got to take on some powerful interests from time to time. In the state of Florida, we had debate about whether kids in elementary school should have things like sex and transgender in their curriculums. Now, my wife and I have parents of six, five, and three. We just happen to believe that kids should be able to go to school, watch cartoons, just be kids without having an agenda shoved down their throats.

(45:31)
We believe in the rights of parents to direct the education and upbringing of their kids, and we think that that’s fundamental so we had legislation in Florida to protect the kids against that and protect families. The media didn’t like it, the left didn’t like it, and neither did the most powerful corporation in the state of Florida, disney didn’t like it.

(45:55)
A lot of people said they’re just too powerful, they call the shots, there’s no way the governor’s going to be able to stand up and hold his ground on this. I took an oath to support and defend the people of the state of Florida, not to subcontract about my leadership, to woke corporation based in Burbank, California.

(46:16)
We stood for what was right, we stood by our kids, and I will do battle with anybody that’s seeking to rob our children of their innocence and I don’t care if you’re the most powerful corporation in the state of Florida. You’ve got to be willing to fight for people. You got to be willing to dig in when it’s not easy, when you know there’s going to be repercussions.

(46:43)
You also though, have to win these battles. We’ve been doing a lot of losing as Republicans, not as much in Iowa or Florida, but in many other parts of the country. Yes, that means win big election victories, and Governor Reynolds won historic landslide victory in 2022, and so did we in the state of Florida. We showed what can be done with bold leadership. But we’ve also delivered substantively just as Kim has delivered here, and the great legislature that you have in Florida, every single thing I promise that I would do, we have delivered on.

(47:23)
We have enacted a parent’s bill of rights, we’ve enacted universal school choice, we have protected women’s sports, we ban transgender surgeries for minor children, we fought illegal immigration by banning sanctuary cities, instituting mandatory E-Verify, and Florida even transported 50 illegal aliens to beautiful Martha’s Vineyard.

We’ve expanded Second Amendment protections by enacting constitutional carry legislation. We pass, like Iowa, The Heartbeat Bill, strongest pro-life protection. We’ve enacted record tax cuts, but we also were able to run big budget surpluses and we eliminated almost 25% of our state’s total debt since inception, just since I’ve been governor. I inherited the most liberal state Supreme Court in the country when I took office in January of 2019. And through my appointments, we now have the most conservative state Supreme Court in the country. We banned the purchase of land by the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliates. No farmland, no nothing, not in Florida.

(49:06)
We kneecapped ESG, things like BlackRock and all this other stuff, dead on arrival in the state of Florida. Same with Central Bank digital currency. We nixed it in Florida. First state in the country to eliminate from our public universities so-called DEI, which they say it’s diversity, equity, inclusion, but if you look at how they do it, it’s ideology, it’s discrimination, exclusion, and indoctrination, and has no place in our public university system. When the BLM riots broke out in the summer of 2020, you didn’t see me marching with the rioters. I called up the National Guard. We passed legislation preventing local governments from defunding the police, and we ensure that in Florida, if you riot, you loot, you engage in mob violence, you’re not getting a slap on the wrist. You’re getting the inside of a jail cell.

(50:19)
We have passed and enacted the death penalty for pedophiles. And when we had prosecutors, one in Tampa, Florida, one in Orlando, Florida, funded by people like George Soros, who took it upon themselves to pick and choose which laws they liked and which laws they didn’t want to enforce, I removed both of them from their posts. They are gone. So all this has now led to Florida being ranked number one for economy, number one for economic freedom, number one for education, number one for education freedom, number one for parental involvement in education, number one in new business formations, a 50-year low in the crime rate, number one fastest growing and number one for net in migration. That is winning. That is what it’s all about.

(51:24)
So you got to win, but you also have to lead. Leadership is the indispensable ingredient. It’s what separates somebody like Governor Reynolds from other governors around the country that may also have friendly legislatures and similar political demography, but haven’t been able to produce nearly the results that she has. And leadership is ultimately about putting forth your vision, standing for what you believe in when it’s not easy to do. Because when it’s easy, anybody can do it. It’s not cost-free. Particularly, standing for our values at this time in our nation’s history, you’re going to face attacks, you’re going to face a lot of criticism, but you got to stand your ground.

(52:12)
And I don’t care what they say about me. I will take the arrows, I will take all the criticism. I’ll take the smears, I’ll take the hits. Because ultimately it’s not about me, it’s about you. I will fight for you, I will win for you, and I will lead America’s revival for you and for your families. Together we will give this nation a new birth of freedom. We can’t make excuses. We can’t get distracted. We must accomplish the mission. And we have no choice. We have no choice because we are in jeopardy of being the first generation of Americans to leave to our kids and our grandkids an America less prosperous and less free than the one we inherited. And that would be breaking faith with every single generation of Americans all the way up to the present, who’ve always been willing to sacrifice so that the next generation would have opportunities.

(53:31)
I am not going to sit idly by and accept the managed decline of this country. Now is the time for leadership. We will restore the American dream in this country. You work hard, you have a right to get ahead without having crippling inflation and interest rates, without having a Congress spending you into oblivion, without having regulations in bureaucracy choking innovation. We need to hold Congress accountable. We need term limits for Congress and a balanced budget amendment for members of Congress. But we’re going to restore the American dream in this country.

(54:12)
We’re also going to restore the sovereignty of our nation. You have a right to live in a country where the borders are protected. No more Mexican drug cartel. We’re putting the military on the border. We’re going to send people back when they come illegally. And we will build the wall and I will actually have Mexico pay for it. I know how to tax the remittances. And we’re going to hold the Mexican drug cartels accountable for what they are doing to this country. The deaths and the drugs and the trafficking. We’re going to treat them like foreign terrorist organizations and we are going to combat them with deadly military force. We’re going to ensure that the 21st century is an American century. We will revitalize and restore our nation’s military and we will fend off the threat posed to this country by the Chinese Communist Party. We will restore our school systems to focus on educating kids, not indoctrinating kids. We don’t want critical race theory in our schools. We don’t want gender ideology in our schools. We don’t want the woke agenda in our schools. We want to teach kids what it means to be an American, teach them about the constitution and American civics and why people have been willing to fight and die for this country. We made the state of Florida the place where woke goes to die. Nationally, we’re going to leave the woke agenda in the dustbin of history where it belongs.

(56:16)
We’re also going to ensure that whether you live in a red state or a blue city, that criminals are held responsible for their crimes. You have a right to raise your family in peace and security. And we’re not going to let rogue prosecutors change the law, let people out. We’re not going to let the inmates run the asylum. We are going to restore the rule of law in this country once and for all. We are also going to restore the constitution of the United States to its central place in our society where it belongs. We will have a limited government that works alongside the people to accomplish a few important things. We will not have an unaccountable bureaucracy that’s been weaponized against us, that imposes its will on us without our consent. We will return this government to its rightful owners, we the American people. And there’s more that we’re going to do. And there’s a lot more that we can do.

(57:26)
But if we just do those things than we’ll be able to say that we have restored America to what President Reagan called a shining city on a hill. We will have left the city freer. We will have left the city more prosperous. And ultimately, president Reagan understood with his famous quote that freedom’s only one generation away from extinction. It’s not passed along in the bloodstream. It requires every generation to step up and lead when freedom is threatened. I used to think that quote was a little bit too much. I thought it was an exaggeration. Because I was like, “Isn’t freedom just in our DNA as Americans?” Well, I think President Reagan was right. And if you’ve lived through the last four or five years, you definitely think he was right. But our founding fathers understood this as well. When they went to frame our constitution in Philadelphia in 1787, they studied the history of every republic and the history of mankind because they wanted to draw lessons that they could apply for the American experiment.

(58:22)
And there was only really one thing that all of these republics had in common, and it was this. Every one of them had failed. So they understood it fell to the United States of America to determine once and for all, could people really govern themselves? Could you have a society based on the idea that our rights come from God, not from the government? Could you have a society based on the rule of law rather than the whims of individual men? Or was mankind forever destined to live under various forms of despotism? And they fully believed that it would be this country that would ultimately decide that question. But they also understood that what they were doing was just the start of that experiment. Benjamin Franklin walked out of the convention. He was asked, “Did you give us a republic or a monarchy?” Franklin said, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

(59:13)
They understood you can have the best constitution in the world. You can have the best declaration of independence in the world. These things do not run on autopilot. They require every generation of Americans to step up and answer the call. And that means sometimes putting on a uniform and even giving the last full measure of devotion for service to this country. Now, we’re not called upon to make sacrifices of that nature, but what we are called upon to do is to do justice to the sacrifices that previous generations have made and to understand that it’s our responsibility to safeguard what President George Washington called the sacred fire of liberty.

(59:52)
Now, this was a fire that burned brightly in Independence Hall when 56 men pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to establish a new nation conceived in liberty. It’s a fire that burned at a cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania when our nation’s first Republican president pledged this nation to a new birth of freedom. It’s the fire that burned on the beaches of Normandy when a merry band of brothers defeated the Nazis and saved freedom throughout the world. It’s a fire that burned at the foot of the Berlin Wall in 1987 when a resolute president stood in front of that wall and said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” and eventually brought down communism in the process.

(01:00:42)
So it is our responsibility to carry this torch, to preserve this sacred fire of liberty. It’s not a responsibility we should run from. It’s a responsibility we should welcome. Because if not us, who? If not now, when? I can tell you this. As your nominee, I’m going to get the job done up and down the ballot. As a leader, I’ll always be somebody that you can be proud of. And as your next president, I can promise you this. I will not let you down. I am asking you for your support. I’m asking you to talk to your friends, your family, your neighbor. Follow Governor Reynolds’ lead. Take up with our campaign. Caucus for us in January. Bring some friends, bring some family. Iowa has the ability to engineer and jumpstart the comeback of this country. Thank you for your support. God bless you all and God bless these United States of America. Thank you. Thank you so much. Oh, yeah.