DeSantis Presents New Legislative Pushes on Immigration, Gender Ideology, and Fake News

What’s happening: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is supporting multiple proposals in the Florida Legislature impacting immigration, media misinformation, and the culture war. While the governor hasn’t yet announced a run for the presidency, his recent actions give some insight into what a DeSantis 2024 campaign might look like.

Immigration: Former President Donald Trump’s strict stance on immigration arguably won him the presidency in 2016. DeSantis is taking a similar approach in Florida as he seeks to strengthen current enforcement, increase penalties, and implement universal E-Verify programs that would stop companies from hiring undocumented workers.

Media misinformation: In reaction to recent calls to reconsider a Supreme Court ruling on libel, DeSantis is now urging the state Legislature to weaken Florida laws that protect the media from being sued for publishing defamatory content, which he claims is being weaponized against Republicans.

The culture war: DeSantis has earned political clout for his effective legislative push against gender ideology and progressive indoctrination. Following up his legislation which banned Medicaid payments from going toward “gender transition,” Florida’s recently announced “Reverse Woke Act” would force companies that pay for “gender-affirming care” to also pay for “detransition care.”