The Washington Examiner's national political reporter Salena Zito asked Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) over the weekend how he would celebrate America's 250th anniversary if he were to become president of the United States.

"I think we will do something big on the Fourth but I think we need to do a lot starting in January 2025 to really build up to that. This is an opportunity to really do some civics education for this country," DeSantis said in an interview.

DESANTIS'S VISITS TO LIBERAL CITIES SHOW THEM (AND THE GOP) THE WAY FORWARD

The Republican presidential candidate shared that he would focus on the history of the U.S. Constitution, and the victory over the British, and would "highlight" some of the country's key Founding Fathers.

DeSantis told Zito that our "unifying principles" are what make our "country unique."

The Florida governor has been pushing through civics education in his own state, including the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative to provide students a working knowledge of American history, American government, and the principles that underline the Constitution and Bill of Rights through establishing middle or high school debate teams. The state has also paid a $3,000 stipend to teachers who completed a Civics Seal of Excellence 55-hour online course to help train them in civics.

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In May, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often called “the nation’s report card," found that just 13% of the nation’s eighth graders were proficient in U.S. history in 2022 and only 22 percent were proficient in civics, marking an alarming decline in the understanding of the country and its government.

DeSantis made a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Friday to speak at the Moms for Liberty annual summit.