Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate, faced a heckler during a speech addressing left-wing indoctrination in public schools.
“Unfortunately, there’s bad stuff that’s getting into the schools, there’s pornography that’s getting into the schools,” DeSantis told the crowd.
The incident occurred during an event in Lexington, South Carolina, where DeSantis was discussing concerns about inappropriate content, including pornography, entering schools.
Interrupting the governor, a woman shouted expletives and called DeSantis a "a f***ing fascist" in response to his stance on kids' healthcare. The audience loudly booed the heckler as DeSantis sarcastically thanked her, “Yeah well, thank you, thank you” for the interruption before firing back.
The 44-year-old Florida governor emphasized the need to protect children from indoctrination and imposed agendas, stating, "We're not gonna let you impose an agenda on our kids! We're gonna stand up for our kids!" He reassured his audience that battles against those who support such ideologies were being won daily in Florida.
“Those people like that in Florida are the people we beat every single day on policy. We do not let them win. We won all these battles. We’re not letting them indoctrinate our kids. Not on our watch,” he expressed.
{{/usCountry}}“Those people like that in Florida are the people we beat every single day on policy. We do not let them win. We won all these battles. We’re not letting them indoctrinate our kids. Not on our watch,” he expressed.
{{/usCountry}}Critics, including Disney CEO Bob Iger, have targeted DeSantis for signing a law that prohibits discussions on gender identity and sexual orientation in public schools for kindergarten to third-grade students.
Iger expressed concern that this legislation, known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, would endanger young LGBTQ individuals. The dispute escalated into a legal battle over oversight of Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.
Several declared and potential GOP presidential candidates, including former President Donald Trump, criticized DeSantis for his actions, labeling them as political stunts.
DeSantis's administration also blocked an advanced placement course on black history, citing it as "radical," and passed a law granting parents access to education curricula to address concerns of sexually explicit material in school libraries.
DeSantis defended these measures, refuting claims that banning books was the intention.
“Some people say if you don’t have every book under the sun in the library that you want to ban books….That’s not true,” he said in March.
Ahead of the 2024 presidential race, The Florida governor has been actively campaigning in early primary states such as Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
President Biden, 80, criticized DeSantis's Parental Rights in Education Act as "hateful" before its passage last year.
Despite a significant lead for Trump over DeSantis in the primary by a 28-point margin, both candidates trail Biden in the general election, according to a recent Yahoo News/YouGov poll.