Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reminded Floridians Wednesday of their right to defend themselves should a rioter attack them.
Conservative podcaster Dave Rubin interviewed DeSantis on “The Rubin Report” Wednesday, asking the governor about the state’s policy on riotous protesters.
DeSantis explained that Florida has a “zero tolerance” policy for riots, and said Florida police are usually effective at squelching them before they get out of hand.
But he also reminded citizens of their fundamental right to safety.
“If you’re driving on one of those streets, and a mob comes and surrounds your vehicle and threatens you, you have a right to flee for your safety, and so if you drive off and you hit one of these people, that’s their fault for impinging on you,” DeSantis said.
“You don’t have to sit there and just be a sitting duck and let the mob grab you out of your car and drag you through the streets,” he said.
“You have a right to defend yourself in Florida,” DeSantis added.
???? Gov. Ron DeSantis Says Florida Has Zero-Tolerance for Riots
“If you’re driving on one of those streets and a mob comes and surrounds your vehicle and threatens you, you have a right to flee for your safety. If you drive off and you hit one of these people, that’s their fault”… pic.twitter.com/kjII12Ixqr
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) June 12, 2025
Protests and riots continue to spread across the country in response to the Trump administration’s mass deportation operations.
The upheaval first began in Los Angeles on June 6 after Immigration Customs and Enforcement executed a number of raids in the city, according to USA Today.
If it wasn’t for ????. People would think the riots in Los Angeles California were ‘mostly peaceful’ currently @elonmusk deserves a million “Thank You’s” for buying ???? ❤️ pic.twitter.com/jSfJomopwq
— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) June 9, 2025
Marxist Mayor Karen Bass is saying that if President Trump continues to enforce the immigration laws of this country, her voters will continue to riot
I say invoke the insurrection act if CA and Los Angeles officials won’t restore order
pic.twitter.com/KcrGqmYIMm— AK Kamara (@realakkamara) June 10, 2025
“Murderers, pedophiles, and drug traffickers. These are the types of criminal illegal aliens that rioters are fighting to protect. How much longer will Gov. Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass continue to prioritize these criminal illegal aliens over their own citizens?” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Wednesday, according to Fox News.
Protests have since ignited in multiple cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Seattle, Omaha, Nebraska, Austin and Dallas, Texas, and Raleigh, North Carolina, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
But DeSantis warned protesters who may be thinking about rioting in Florida.
“You have no right to commandeer streets — first of all, it’s just wrong. Second of all, that has huge impacts on people’s quality of life,” DeSantis said.
“You may have somebody who has a medical issue, and what, you’re going to clog all the roads? So we have an absolutely zero tolerance policy for that.”
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