MILWAUKEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) made his case for the GOP platform at the Republican National Convention , comparing the current president's tenure to the plot of a popular comedy film.
“Our enemies do not contain their designs to between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.," DeSantis said. "We need a commander in chief who can lead 24 hours a day and seven days a week. America cannot afford four more years of a Weekend at Bernie’s presidency.”
The 1989 movie features two young men who discover their boss is dead and spend the weekend carrying him around trying to convince people he's still alive. DeSantis also described President Joe Biden as a "figurehead" for the Democratic agenda who is not running the show for his party.
The Florida governor received strong applause upon taking the stage but elsewhere stuck mostly with the familiar themes he hit during his own run for president.
Speaking quickly, DeSantis pushed back against illegal immigration, saying Democrats support it in most cases while adding, "Just don’t send any to Martha’s Vineyard. Then they get really upset.” He did just that himself in 2022, leading to outrage from the Left and praise from his supporters.
At the time, DeSantis was a rising star in the Republican Party and widely seen as a potential successor to Trump. But his presidential campaign fizzled as Trump rose back to prominence, especially following Trump's first criminal indictment in New York.
News circulated last week that DeSantis wouldn't even speak at the convention, but his team clarified that he would and maintained he had always been part of the speaking schedule.
DeSantis endorsed Trump when he suspended his presidential campaign in January, but the pair did not speak again until April. The Florida governor spoke on the heels of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, another vanquished foe whom Trump bested in the Republican primary.
Another former Trump primary foe, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, spoke at the convention earlier in the evening, though he always aligned himself closely with the former president's views. Yet another, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), spoke on Monday night.
Like the others, DeSantis gave his backing to Trump during his remarks, but his speech was largely focused on issues such as COVID-19 vaccine mandates, requiring proof of citizenship to vote, keeping public education systems from "indoctrinating" children, shrinking the size of the executive branch of the federal government, and embracing law and order.
"We believe in the principles articulated in our Declaration of Independence, that our rights come not from the generosity from the state but from the hand of the Almighty," he said.
He also touted his own stewardship of the Florida Republican Party.
"For decades, my home state's elections were determined by razor-thin margins," he said. "Today, due to bold leadership, the Democratic Party lies in ruins."
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But he finished by throwing his weight behind onetime nemesis Trump, saying it was time for him to regain the presidency.
"Let's make the 45th president of the United States the 47th president of the United States," DeSantis said. "Let's elect Republicans up and down the ballot, and let's heed the call of our party's nominee to fight, fight, fight for these United States."
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