Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R-FL) new memoir is poised to hit bookshelves on Tuesday in what is speculated to be the opening act of a possible 2024 presidential run.
The Florida governor's new book gives insights into how he views his political journey to GOP stardom and some of the hot-button culture wars.
The book, The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Survival, will be released on Feb. 28 by HarperCollins, which is owned by the Murdoch media empire.
Here are four preliminary takeaways from the previews of the book.
DESANTIS, TRUMP EMERGE AS TOP PREFERRED 2024 CANDIDATES AMONG GOP VOTERS
Kind words for Trump
Republicans who have been disillusioned by former President Donald Trump and his brand of politics have flocked to DeSantis as one of the most viable alternatives to the former president, but DeSantis had some kind words for his likely 2024 foe in his book.
DeSantis credited Trump with helping to pave the way for his meteoric rise, something Trump himself has maintained publicly as well. At one point in his book, he describes how Trump endorsed him during the 2018 election cycle, which helped boost him in the GOP gubernatorial primary.
“I knew that a Trump endorsement would provide me with the exposure to GOP primary voters across the State of Florida, and I was confident that many would see me as a good candidate once they learned about my record," DeSantis wrote in his book previewed by the Guardian.
Ahead of their possible collision course, DeSantis also rejected the notion from some Beltway commentators that "Trump’s nomination represented a hostile takeover of the Republican Party." Instead, he believes Trump's policies helped electrify the base in a way "the D.C. swamp had been either incapable of doing or unwilling to do."
The DeSantis approach to freedom
For decades, conservatism has centered on talk about preserving and expanding freedom through limited government. DeSantis has taken a slightly different approach by tapping the government to wade into the culture wars. For instance, his policies have set rules for books in school classrooms and restricted training of so-called critical race theory in workplaces.
This has earned him some pushback from more traditional Republicans, such as Gov. Chris Sununu (NH). DeSantis has held steady in his agenda and has courted many conservative fans in the process, defending his government interventions as safeguarding the personal freedoms of Floridians.
His previous book, Dreams from Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama, published in 2011, also emphasized the concept of freedom.
In addition to wielding government powers in the name of supporting personal freedom, DeSantis began resisting heavy-handed measures to curtail the spread of COVID-19 several months into the pandemic.
Although he did shut down parts of Florida early on, his resistance to protracted COVID-19 suppression measures catapulted him to GOP stardom.
"When the coronavirus pandemic hit, I consumed the data myself and made decisions that bucked conventional wisdom. We also refused to bow down to the woke mob and fought ideological capture of our schools and fought back against big corporations that pursued a leftist agenda," DeSantis said, per a preview in the New York Post.
Disney CEO lamented woke culture
One of DeSantis's most high-profile dust-ups as governor was his skirmish with Disney, which vocally opposed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill by detractors. The law set limits on classroom instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation for kindergarten through third grade.
In his book, DeSantis talks about the battle and says former Disney CEO Bob Chapek called him, saying he had been pressured to weigh in about the bill.
"As the controversy over the Parental Rights in Education bill was coming to a head, Chapek called me. He did not want Disney to get involved, but he was getting a lot of pressure to weigh in against the bill," DeSantis wrote, Fox News previewed.
"We get pressured all the time," Chapek added, per the book. "But this time is different. I haven’t seen anything like this before."
Florida moved to take over Disney's self-governing district after the company spoke out. Chapek left Disney later that year.
Upholding Florida as a model for the nation
DeSantis's book points to his home state as a model for the nation and the conservative movement broadly to follow. Themes such as standing your ground and fighting back against woke culture that dominated his tenure in the Sunshine State have all been featured prominently in previews of the memoir.
"We in Florida can lead the way on important issues and deliver historic results, but this might not be a blueprint for others to follow if it led to electoral failure," DeSantis wrote, the New York Post previewed. "We were able to accomplish these great electoral triumphs by taking the political road less traveled."
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Underpinnings of a likely 2024 campaign loom large over DeSantis's book. Other possible GOP presidential contenders, such as former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have similarly released books ahead of their speculated campaign launches.
DeSantis's book publication will coincide with a media tour, in which he will seek to bolster his national profile further. He is already polling in second place in the Republican primary, per the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate. He has indicated that he will announce his 2024 plans after the Florida legislative session.