Latest news with #RonDeSantis
The Independent
41 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Who do voters want as the 2028 Republican candidate? New poll shows clear frontrunner to succeed Trump
Vice President JD Vance has surged as a clear frontrunner in early polling for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, according to a new Emerson College survey. Vance leads the 2028 GOP field with 46 percent support, far ahead of Marco Rubio's 12 percent and Ron DeSantis' 9 percent. Independent Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. garnered 5 percent support, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley each earned 2 percent. The poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters, including 416 Republican primary voters, between June 24 and 25, with a 4.8-point margin of error for GOP respondents. Meanwhile, 17 percent of respondents were undecided, and six other candidates polled at 1 percent or less. Vance's support has grown significantly since Emerson's November poll, rising from 30 percent to 46 percent, while DeSantis and other contenders saw little change. In November, half of the respondents were undecided. President Donald Trump himself has praised both Vance and Rubio, though he has stopped short of officially designating either of them as his successor. 'You look at Marco, you look at JD Vance, who's fantastic,' Trump told NBC News in a May interview on Meet the Press. 'You look at—I could name 10, 15, 20 people right now just sitting here. No, I think we have a tremendous party.' Trump also denied plans to seek a third presidential term in that interview, saying he intends to be a two-term president. Though he previously claimed he wasn't joking about serving a third term, which is unconstitutional, Trump later said those remarks were meant to troll the media. On the Democratic side of Emerson College's most recent survey, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg edges out ex-Vice President Kamala Harris with 16 percent to 13 percent in the Emerson survey. Also in contention are California Governor Gavin Newsom at 12 percent and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro with 7 percent, though nearly a quarter of Democratic voters remain undecided. Harris's support has notably dropped from 37 percent in November.
Telegraph
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Stop panicking about asylum hotels, Sir Keir. I've got the perfect solution
Three years ago, Ron DeSantis – the Republican governor of Florida – decided that he was sick of his state being deluged by asylum seekers. And he was even more sick of being lectured by rich liberals who were always loudly supportive of mass immigration, while living in neighbourhoods that were largely untouched by its downsides. So he came up with a little idea. He assembled a group of asylum seekers who'd arrived in Florida, and kindly arranged for them all to receive one-way flights to Martha's Vineyard: a fashionable part of New England that is home to lots of rich liberal celebrities. You may be astonished to learn that, in liberal circles, Mr DeSantis's plan was met with horrified fury. Not, of course, because these liberals don't like asylum seekers, and were appalled by the prospect of having to share their beautiful neighbourhoods with them. It was merely because they felt it was callous and inhumane of Mr DeSantis to use vulnerable people as pawns in a cynical political game. That was all. Important to make that clear. Anyway, there's a reason I bring this story up. Here in Britain, our Labour Government has got itself into a bit of bother. Earlier this month, it pledged to end the use of asylum hotels by 2029. But now David Bolt, the chief inspector of borders and immigration, has said: 'I don't think it will be achieved, frankly.' Luckily for Labour, I'm here to save the day. As we know, asylum hotels are, for some mysterious reason, almost always found in areas that are home to people who are not very well-off, and unhappy about mass immigration. Yet strangely few are found in areas that are home to people who are well-off, and love mass immigration. So why not take a leaf from Mr DeSantis's book? Remove all the asylum seekers from their hotels – and instead put them up in places that are full of rich liberals. Branches of Soho House, say, or BBC headquarters. Admittedly this might take some time to arrange. So, for this weekend at least, the Government could just bus them all into the Glastonbury festival. A perfect solution that will please everyone. It's just a wonder that Labour didn't think of it sooner. Nigel versus the Nats I don't know how many Telegraph readers also take The National, the newspaper that, in the proud words of its masthead, 'supports an independent Scotland'. But for those who weren't lucky enough to get hold of yesterday's extraordinary edition, here's what you missed. On its front page were two stories. And both were about Nigel Farage's Reform UK. The main story was headlined: 'BBC Called Out Over Question Time Slot for Reform Man.' And its opening sentence was: 'The BBC's decision to platform Reform UK in Scotland when the Right-wing party has no elected members has been branded 'bizarre'.' The other story, however, was headed: 'Poll Suggests Farage's Party Would Gain First Scottish MPs.' This was followed by the alarmed subhead: 'Our analysis finds Reform would also take second place in 16 constituencies and third in a staggering 37.' So, to summarise: Reform is an overhyped electoral irrelevance that doesn't deserve any airtime in Scotland, because it's so pathetically unpopular there. Yet it's also an existential threat to everything Scotland holds dear, because it's so terrifyingly popular there. This presents us with a profound philosophical conundrum. Because it would seem that Mr Farage has created the political equivalent of Schrödinger's cat. A party that's simultaneously both dead and alive. He's achieved some remarkable things in his career, but this surely trumps the lot.
Irish Times
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
‘Alligator Alcatraz': Visit to new detention centre shows pleasure some Republicans derive from inflicting cruelty on immigrants
Who says Ron DeSantis does not have a sense of humour? Last year, the Florida governor was Donald Trump 's favourite whipping boy, verbally bludgeoned and outsmarted during his insipid run for the Republican presidential nomination. Now, he is virtually best in class, as he showed when he took a Fox News host around his pride and joy: Alligator Alcatraz. What was a seldom-used air strip about 90km into the Everglades west of Miami City has, in jig time, been transformed into an immigration processing centre. It will act as the final stop for undocumented people – or 'illegals' as is the official term of the Republican administration – before they are flown back to wherever they came from – or the next closest thing. READ MORE Florida governor Ron DeSantis. Photograph: Cristobal Herrera-Ulashkevich/EPA DeSantis ditched the suit and wore a black shirt and shades, going for detention centre chic as he hosted his tour. The curious thing is that this latest system of cost-effective cruelty seemed to have liberated the Floridian from his staggeringly wooden campaigning persona. In the swampy Ochopee heat, he was positively charming as he showed Steve Doocy around the centre. He made sure to point out that there will be air-conditioning, sanitary facilities, food and all of that good stuff. 'When you want to have deportation of illegal aliens there's a process the DHS [department of homeland security] has to go through to vet, to process, to stage 'em for removal,' he said. 'We've got jails and our sheriffs and police are working and the state of Florida is all in on president [Donald] Trump's measure. But that's not enough- there needs to be more ability to intake and then deport. This answers that.' There may be a kind of brutal rationale behind the system but the giveaway was contained within the casual differentiating phrase: ''em'. [ Juneteenth celebrations offer another lesson in stark difference between Donald Trump and Joe Biden Opens in new window ] DeSantis said that about '750,000 illegals' have already received deportation orders from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) across the country. About 150,000 are in Florida and it is impossible to use the regular prisons as they are needed for 'non-illegals, as they commit crimes too.' But the unique selling point of the Everglades centre is that wild nature will keep 'em penned in. 'This is as secure as it gets,' De Santis said triumphantly. 'If a criminal alien were to escape from here somehow, and I don't think they will, you've got nowhere to go. What are you going to do? Trudge through the swamp and dodge alligators just to get through 50 or 60 miles back to civilisation? All you need is a little bus to move 'em about 2,000 feet that way. They get on a plane and they're gone.' And it's more than just alligators – the area is the natural habitat of panthers, bobcats and other terrifying wildlife. An American alligator resting in the shallow warers of the Everglades in Florida. Photograph: Alamy/PA 'I love the whole concept,' purred Laura Ingraham when De Santis appeared on her show while explaining it to her viewers. 'It's this new migrant detention centre in the Everglades- as long as the Everglades aren't touched! Cos I love them too.' The most dismal aspect of the entire enterprise is the undisguised and unashamed gleefulness with which key administration officials and its broadcast echo chambers discuss the mass deportation policy. [ Trump country: 'When we travel, if you go to a bigger area, people can be rude and disrespectful' Opens in new window ] It's as if the whole thing is a gas, reminiscent of a famous James Bond scene. Roger Moore, marooned on a tiny bank in an alligator swamp while attired in a Savile Row suit, adjusts his tie to acknowledge his sketchy predicament. He then waits until the gathering reptiles align and nimbly hopscotches across their scaly backs to safety. It was one of the most notorious stunt scenes in Hollywood history; none of the regular teams would take it on so the alligator park owner did it himself. The human fear and awe of alligators, with their weird combination of sleepiness and murderous intent, is universal. And the imaginative optics feed into the Republican delight at the prospect of these reptiles standing as unpaid sentries to the thousands of desperate people whose final experience of the US will be a few nights in a tent in the Everglades. Federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building in New York City. Photograph: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images It's not enough to merely haul them out of their subterranean lives – as has happened with Madonna Kashanian, a 64-year-old Iranian woman who had lived in New Orleans for 47 years before being lifted by Ice while gardening outside her house. This is hardly the profile of the rampaging murderous immigrants Trump campaigned on, nor the dog-eating outsiders vice-president JD Vance warned against. But no matter. You have the paper work, or you don't. The border policy has been the great, uncomplicated success story of Trump's second term. He promised to stop the rush of undocumented people across the southern border and his team has done just that. They have targeted criminal gangs and operatives and justifiably claim to have made US streets safer. Tom Homan, the 'Border Tzar', has made it clear that this is just a numbers game. There is little room for human empathy. But the ill-disguised pleasure derived at inflicting maximum cruelty and humiliation on tens of thousands of people, who at the very least are enduring a kind of private despair, will generate a backlash. It could become the issue to bite the Trump administration back.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
DeSantis OKs law shielding addresses of federal, state, local officials from public view
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a bill that shields home addresses and telephone numbers of "certain state and local officials," including state lawmakers and members of Congress, "along with their spouses and children" from public disclosure. The bill (SB 268) seamlessly swept through the Florida Legislature this year, passing both chambers with only four votes against it. It got little attention until mid-June, where lawmakers raised the need for the public records exemptions after two Minnesota lawmakers were attacked in their homes. DeSantis signed the bill into law without comment on June 27. It had been sponsored by a Democrat: state Sen. Shevrin Jones of Miami Gardens. Minnesota shooting: Assassination suspect arrested after fatal attack on Minnesota lawmakers "The Legislature ... finds that the harm that may result from the release of such personal identifying and location information outweighs any public benefit that may be derived from the disclosure of the information," the bill says. The law, which goes into effect July 1, grants exemptions to the following: the governor, the lieutenant governor, members of the Florida Cabinet, state representatives and senators, U.S. representatives and senators, property appraisers, supervisors of elections, school superintendents, school board members, mayors and city and county commissioners. First Amendment advocates raised concerns it could hinder journalists and voters from finding out whether lawmakers actually live in the districts they were elected to represent. Officials' cities of residence and ZIP codes are still publicly available, however. "This was a major blow to accountability and a dangerous precedent in a time when transparency is already under siege," the Florida First Amendment Foundation said in a statement. "While the bill will do little to deter bad actors, it makes it extremely difficult for people to check whether their elected officials actually live in their districts." The Legislature found it a "public necessity" to shield more personal information to prevent threats. Lawmakers' safety drew national attention after a gunman murdered Minnesota Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband at their home in mid-June. The same person also shot and critically injured Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife in their Minnesota home. More: Who are Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman, the Minnesota state lawmakers shot on June 14 Florida law governing access to public records is known for its broad scope. In 1992, 83% of Florida voters supported a constitutional amendment that allowed public access to records and also ensure open government meetings. Florida's Chapter 119 generally mandates that records made or received by public agencies are available for inspection, unless specifically exempted. And every year, lawmakers create more exemptions; there are now well over 1,000. But in federal court, Florida has also been criticized for its lengthy public records process under Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis lawsuit: Judge questions DeSantis administration's response time for public records requests American Oversight, a government accountability watchdog organization, sued DeSantis and his administration in 2024 for failing to respond to public records requests in a "timely and lawful manner." In May, the group reached a settlement and said the governor's office began providing tracking number and signing employee names in emails. This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA Today Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Stephany Matat is based in Tallahassee, Fla. She can be reached at SMatat@ On X: @stephanymatat. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis signs law shielding elected officials' home, phone details
Fox News
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Southern states join forces to break free from 'woke accreditation cartels'
Southern states banded together Thursday to establish their own accrediting body in higher education in order to "upend the monopoly of the woke accreditation cartels," according to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Florida, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee formed the Commission for Public Higher Education, a consortium of six public universities offering a new accreditation model. The Commission will create a "first-of-its-kind accreditation model for public higher education institutions that will offer high-quality, efficient services prioritizing academic excellence, student outcomes and achievement." DeSantis said at a press conference at Florida Atlantic University that there was a need for "alternative accreditation." DeSantis said that the commission will "upend the monopoly of the woke accreditation cartels, and it will provide institutions with an alternative that focuses on student achievement, rather than the ideological fads that have so permeated those accrediting bodies over the years." He explained further that the accreditation process affects undergraduate schools as well as law and medical schools. He said that accrediting bodies were trying to deny credentials to Florida institutions that prohibited diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programming on their campuses. "The accreditors are telling them they have to do these things. So, when we said, 'No DEI,' the accreditors are telling these universities, 'No, no, no, you're not going to get accredited unless you do DEI.' Who the heck are they to say what our universities have to do? They're telling them they can't follow state law? Are you kidding me? Nobody elected them to make that judgment at all. "What we've seen develop is an accreditation cartel and the accreditors by-and-large are all singing from the same sheet of music and it's not what the state of Florida wants to see reflected in its universities in many different respects." He added that the process "requires approval" from the current Trump administration's U.S. Department of Education and that the accreditation overhaul agenda would not have passed under the Biden administration. "They believe in overhauling this accreditation process. They want to have new blood in the system. They want to have competing accreditors," DeSantis said about the Trump administration. When reached for comment, a Department of Education spokesperson pointed Fox News Digital to President Donald Trump's executive order issued in April that called for accountability and reform to the accreditation process in higher education after past accrediting bodies "abused their enormous authority." The Executive Order cited accredited institutions offering "undergraduate and graduate programs with a negative return on investment" and compelling the "adoption of discriminatory ideology, rather than on student outcomes" in order to access federal aid. DeSantis said the members of the new accrediting body have been working with the Department of Education to expedite the process of acquiring approval from the federal government. "We need these things approved and implemented during President Trump's term of office, because the reality is, if it doesn't get approved and stick during that time, you can have a president come in next and potentially revoke it, and they could probably do that very quickly," DeSantis said. DeSantis predicted that more conservative states in the South will seek to gain accreditation from the new body. A Florida education official sent Fox News Digital the following statement: "I am proud to be joined by leaders of five other public university systems to establish an accreditor that will focus on ensuring institutions provide high-quality, high-value programs, use student data to drive decisions, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the process," Chancellor Ray Rodrigues of the State University System of Florida said.
