2024 Presidential Campaign Blog

What They Are Saying: Ron DeSantis at the Iowa GOP Lincoln Dinner in Iowa

What They Are Saying: Ron DeSantis Wins the Day in Iowa 

“Pure Fire.” “Policy rich.” “Fantastic.” “Future of the GOP.” “Absolutely rocked it.” 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Ron DeSantis’ work ethic was on full display after a busy and energetic swing through Iowa, which was noted by supporters, eventgoers, influential conservatives, and members of the media.  

From his breakneck pace of events on a bus tour filled with interviews and media availabilities to his energetic speech at the Iowa GOP’s Lincoln Dinner to staying late at his reception to have beers with the large number of supporters who came out to see him, the governor outworked the entire field in the Hawkeye State yesterday.  

Another notable moment from the evening came when New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu stopped by DeSantis' reception for a brief chat following the governors' speech. DeSantis will be back in the Granite State on Sunday and will unveil his "Declaration of Economic Independence" economic policy there on Monday. 

“The time for excuses is over. We must get the job done. I will get the job done… We’re doing all 99 counties in Iowa because this caucus demands that you earn it,” DeSantis said in his speech at the Iowa GOP’s Lincoln Dinner last night. Watch his full speech here. 

Multiple Iowa legislators praised DeSantis’ speech.  

Iowa State Senator Jeff Reichman: “Last night’s speech and the overwhelming standing ovation showed Iowans the man that will rise to the top. We spent four years of the Trump administration mired in investigations and impeachment trials, the last three years of Biden, with coverups and destroying the integrity of the agencies sworn to guard America.  Not only will Gov. DeSantis carry on the policies that will bring back the America I swore an oath to defend, but DeSantis will restore dignity to the office.” 

Iowa State Representative Bill Gustoff: “The Lincoln Dinner showed that Republicans have a deep bench of great candidates for President in 2024 compared to the train wreck offered by Democrats. Iowans will have a difficult choice for caucusing, but Governor DeSantis knocked it out of the park in his short speech packed with a long list of plans to put the country back on track, complete with a record of accomplishment to show why he’s the one to get the job done.”  

Iowa State Representative Dan Gehlbach: “Ron DeSantis had an awesome, energetic speech last night that offered a positive vision for the future. He’s ready to get to work on Day One with specific plans for our country. DeSantis took the time to talk to every single person in the room after his speech at the Iowa GOP Dinner, far more than any other candidate I saw.”

More of What They Are Saying: 

Sergeant Bluff, Iowa activist Nicole Cleveland: “I was most impressed with Governor Ron DeSantis while attending the Lincoln Dinner last night. He set out a clear vision for America from 2024 and beyond. His love for our nation was undeniable and he has proven it as being the only veteran to be seeking our Nation’s highest office. I can’t wait to hear more as he travels our great state.”  

Washington, Iowa activist Matt Wells: “Ron DeSantis absolutely rocked it at the Iowa Lincoln Dinner tonight. Focused. Policy rich. Knows what time it is.  #IowaForDeSantis #DeSantis2024 #NeverBackDown” 

Nevada Mayor and Story County GOP Chair Brett Barker: “The first volume alert on my Apple Watch from the crowd at the @IowaGOP Lincoln Dinner goes to Governor @RonDeSantis.” 

Rep. Chip Roy: “It’s time for Americans to win again.  #WinWithDeSantis #DeSanity” 

Patrick Ruffini: “Echoes of the 2007 JJ? Time will tell, but this and the fight with Kamala suggest DeSantis regaining his footing.” 

NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez: “@GovRonDeSantis gets strong reception at Lincoln Dinner, most enthusiastic so far.” 

Chris Loesch: “This is fantastic.” 

SC Radio Host Tara Servatius: “Pure fire. Listen. What DeSantis has did in Florida is why the state has flipped solid red for the first time in my adult lifetime and why the population center of the country has shifted to Florida/the south for the 1st time since the founding.” 

John Stemberger: “Amazing speech.” 

The Blaze's Steve Deace: “From a little birdie at the Lincoln Dinner in Iowa last night, who worked with Trump White House and is open to DeSantis but so far hasn't been impressed with his campaign (also knows Iowa well): "DeSantis got a great spot getting to go after Asa. And then Scott was just so-so after him. A couple of folks, including Pence, got booed. Trump was flat and just talking off a script. DeSantis and Vivek had the most energy, and they had equal response in the after-party rooms to Trump. This was the first speech I've seen Ron properly parlay what he did in Florida to what he'll do in the future as president. He needs to do that more. It's the best I've seen DeSantis in the three of his events I've been to. Scott's polling is all a reflection of DeSantis not adequately messaging to evangelicals here. If he does that, he'll take over Scott's polling." 

NBC News’ Fin Gomez: “So far, DeSantis has received the loudest reaction from the Iowa Republicans at the IA GOP Lincoln dinner who have come to hear from the majority of the 2024 GOP field.” 

John R. Lott Jr: “Ron DeSantis gives an impassioned speech at the Iowa Lincoln Dinner. School Choice, Tough on Crime, #2A, Strong Border enforcement, Stood strong against those who wanted lockdowns, and much, much more #Election2024” 

Politico’s Natalie Allison: “DeSantis stayed late tonight to greet supporters, and in general hustled around quite a bit the last two days in Iowa — including for the kind of humble retail politics stops that some political observers previously doubted he’d embrace. (i.e. a dozen vets today in a remote area)” 

Dave Reaboi: “Damn. I’ve never seen DeSantis so fired up, brimming with energy.” 

CNN’s Kit Maher: “DeSantis at the Never Back Down reception room enjoys a Coors Light after taking photos with attendees, following speech at Iowa GOP dinner, says, “We’re gonna get it done.”

Tim Scott at RPI Annual Lincoln Dinner: “We must protect this land of opportunity.”

Tim Scott at RPI Annual Lincoln Dinner: "We must protect this land of opportunity."

DES MOINES, IA - Last night, Tim spoke at the the Republican Party of Iowa's Annual Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa

Full Remarks as delivered: 
Tim Scott: I am so proud to be an American. My granddaddy, who was born in 1921 in the Deep South, taught me two really important lessons about being an American. The first thing he taught me was that we kneel to the father in prayer. He taught me that James 5:16 says "the prayers of the righteous avail much." And even though we kneel to the father in prayer, he said, lesson number two is that we stand for the flag in respect. He said, "our American flag is a symbol of freedom and liberty and justice for all." These were powerful words from a man born, as I said, in the Deep South who understood a very different America. So when I moved into his home, when my parents divorced, when I was seven years old, we moved into his home, 700 square feet, a rental. He taught me very quickly, he said, "son, you can be bitter or you can get better, but you can't be both." These were valuable lessons and my mother helped so much. She was a lady who taught me because she works 16 hours a day as a nurse's aide, changing bed pans and rolling patients. She taught me that there is dignity in all work and that if you're able-bodied in America, you work. That's called America.

If you take out a loan, you pay it back. And if you commit a violent crime, you go to jail. And if God made you a man, you play sports against men.

These are simple common sense lessons of America. But Joe Biden and the radical Left, he is attacking the values that made us possible. He is tearing down every rung of the ladder that helped me climb. I was a kid trapped in poverty who did not believe that in America all things were possible. But because of the values of this nation, the kid who nearly flunked out of high school as a freshman, I failed four subjects, Spanish and English. When you fail Spanish and English, no one calls you bilingual. No, they call you by bi-ignorant. But I had a mentor who told me all things were possible. And so protecting the values of America is protecting the rungs on the ladder that allow the poorest, most vulnerable students in this nation to climb. We must protect our values. I'm running for president because I know America can do for anyone what she's done for me. Focusing on restoring hope, creating opportunities, and protecting the America we all love. To protect the America we all love, we must first start by backing the blue. Every law enforcement officer in this country deserves our respect and our admiration. You see the radical Left. They want to defund and demonize and demoralize the police. It's our responsibility to refund and rebuild local law enforcement. We must restore dignity and respect, but we also have to get tougher on violent criminals from carjackers to cop killers who should never see the light of day again.

And by doing so, we will allow grandmothers like the one that raised me not to be trapped in our house from the time the sun goes down until the time the sun comes up. But in order to protect America, we must also protect our southern border. We must build the wall. Finish it. 70,000 Americans have lost their lives to fentanyl. A good friend of mine in Charleston, a business school former Dean, Alan Shao, just this year, a few months ago, lost his son to fentanyl. Too many American families are being devastated by a drug whose precursors come from China, manufactured in Mexican labs, and then the cartels bring them across our unsafe, insecure, and wide open southern border. We deserve better. And as president of the United States, I'll use the power of the presidency to stop the cartels in their tracks. Without question, they must cease to exist on our side of the border.

But we must also close our southern border so that 6 million illegal immigrants under radical Joe Biden do not continue to cross our southern border. And that's before they ended Title 42, which could make it 10 million illegal immigrants crossing our borders. We deserve better. But also as commander in chief, I'll stand toe to toe with China and say, not on my watch, will you continue to spy on our kids, buy our farmlands, and steal our jobs in our supply chain. We will stop them and win this economic war by creating jobs in America, high tech, high manufacturing jobs, the marvel of the world. We have the power to get these things accomplished at home. Minerals, medicines, and microchips. Three specific areas that as president of the United States, I would focus the intellectual ability and the workforce to make sure that we create 10 million new American jobs and start creating the essentials at home, creating great jobs for Americans.

And finally, for any of this to happen, we have to win the cultural war here at home. The radical Left and Joe Biden has us as they continue to sell this drug of victimhood and the narcotic of despair leading to a culture of grievance in America. We have survived the most challenging times from a civil war to World War I, World War II, the Korean conflict, Vietnam era. But we must win this battle against the culture of grievance. And as president of the United States, I will make sure that the truth of my life continues to disprove the lies of the radical Left. This is the greatest country on God's green earth. I am living proof that all things are possible in God's country, and that as we hold on to his dear hand, we can remember that he is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or imagine. We can remember that all things are truly possible, but we must choose greatness over grievance, victory over victimhood, and we must protect this land of opportunity so it doesn't become, with the radical Left, the land of oppression. God bless America and God bless you.

Republican Party of Iowa 2023 Lincoln Dinner Photos, Des Moines, Friday, July 28, 2023

Governor Ron DeSantis Delivers Remarks at the Republican Party of Iowa's 2023 Lincoln Dinner

Governor DeSantis Delivers Remarks at the Republican Party of Iowa’s 2023 Lincoln Dinner 

DES MOINES, Iowa – Governor DeSantis delivered remarks at the Republican Party of Iowa’s 2023 Lincoln Dinner. Read the remarks below. 

 
GOVERNOR DESANTIS: 
Hello, Iowa! Are you ready to send Joe Biden back to his basement in Delaware on a permanent vacation? I can promise you this: in my White House, there will be no cocaine allowed in the White House. And look, my son's only five years old. So he's not going to be lining his pockets with money from foreign governments. So don't worry about that. It's great to be here. I want to thank Chairman Kauffman. I want to thank all the great legislators in the state of Iowa for their great work. And I want to commend your outstanding Governor Kim Reynolds for her leadership, leading this great state. 

Our country is in decline and Joe Biden is the custodian of that decline. I'm running for President because we, as Republicans, cannot be content with simply managing the decline of our country a little bit better than the Democrats. We must reverse American decline. We must restore this country to greatness, and we must provide our country with a new birth of freedom. To do that, it requires vision, it requires courage, and it requires leadership. That's exactly what we did in the state of Florida. Everything I promised people I would do, we did. And we delivered more than what we promised. We expanded Second Amendment rights. We enacted the Heartbeat Bill, we cut taxes by $2.7 billion. We have paid down 25% of our state's debt. We have the number one rated economy in the country, number one in new business formations. We have eliminated critical race theory from our K-12 schools. We have enacted a Parent's Bill of Rights to protect the rights of parents. And we have held criminals accountable by enacting the death penalty for pedophiles, and our crime rate is at a 50-year low. And when it came time to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, we refused to let the state of Florida descend into some type of Fauci-an dystopia. We stood strong against the mob, against the left, against the bureaucracy. And we fought for our people's rights. We fought for their jobs, we fought to have our kids in school. And as a result, the state of Florida has never done better. We will deliver those results in Washington. 

We will repeal Bidenomics so that middle class people actually have a chance to get ahead in this country again. We will stop the Congress from borrowing and spending this country into oblivion. We need a balanced budget amendment to the US Constitution. We need term limits for members of Congress so that we can have a citizen legislature again. We will get the bureaucracy off the back of small businesses in this country. And I'm going to issue an order to all agencies in DC to reduce their DC footprint by at least 50%. 

We reject policies like the Green New Deal. We will develop our own natural resources and we will be energy independent, because we don't want to help our enemies. I pledge to be the president to finally solve the issue of the southern border. We're sending the military to the border. Yes, we will build a border wall and we will use deadly force against the Mexican drug cartels because I'm sick of them poisoning our kids, I'm sick of them killing our citizens, and I'm sick of them trafficking people into this country. That ends on January 20th, 2025. 

We will usher in a reckoning for those like Dr. Fauci, who perpetrated COVID-19 lock downs and mandate policies. Those policies were destructive for this country. They hurt people, they hurt our economy, and we still haven't fully recovered from it. You don't coddle bureaucrats like Dr. Fauci, you bring them in and you say, 'you are fired' and we are going to hold them accountable for what they did. 

We are going to ensure that parents in this country have the fundamental right to direct the upbringing and well-being of their kids. Schools and systems are important, but they do not supersede the rights of parents. We want education in this country, not indoctrination in this country. We got it done in Florida and we need to get it done nationally.
 
And I got Kamala Harris coming down to Florida trying to create phony narratives because she understands: Florida has stood up to the left's agenda. We have beat the left's agenda in the state of Florida. And so she thinks she can come down and lie about what we're doing in the state of Florida. I'm not budging an inch. We are going to fight back against these people. And we are not letting them take over our schools any longer. We are going to get this right as a nation. 

We will also end the weaponization of federal agencies like the FBI and the Department of Justice. On day one with me as president, you will have a new director of the FBI—long overdue. 

You will see a housecleaning at the Department of Justice and we are personally going to hold them accountable. We are not going to allow them to target people like parents going to a school board meeting, pro-life demonstrators just speaking their mind or are targeting religious groups like observant Catholics. Weaponization ends on day one of our administration and we are going to re-constitutionalize this federal government once and for all.

I'm proud to be the only candidate running for president on either side of the aisle this year that’s actually served in a war. I served in Iraq as a naval officer alongside Navy Seals in Fallujah and Ramadi and places like that. Not exactly Club Med, but it was duty that called. 

And, you know, I had opportunities to do a lot of other things in my life, I was a blue collar kid, I worked minimum wage jobs, didn't necessarily have anything handed to me. But I put myself in a position to do well, but then 911 happened, all volunteer forces—I said I need to do my part. So we served. And when you wear the cloth of your country, you wear that American flag on your uniform, you serve beside fellow patriots, and you serve a mission greater than yourself. That's a noble calling. And I thank all the veterans in Iowa and throughout this country who have worn the uniform because at the end of the day, a veteran is somebody who at one point in their life has written a check payable to the United States of America for an amount up to and including that individuals life. 

We have a situation now in this country where our recruiting into our military is at the lowest level since the end of the draft during the Vietnam War. And the reason why –and I have veterans coming up to me saying ‘Governor, I don't know that I'd want my kids or grandkids to join today's military.’ Why? Because they're indulging in social experimentation. They're pursuing political agendas, woke ideology, they've taken their eye off the ball. As commander in chief, on day one, we are going to rip the politics out of the military. We're going to end the woke agenda, and we are going to restore the military to mission first. And we are going to make people proud to serve again and join again. And that's going to make our country stronger.
 
So here's the thing. We're not getting a mulligan on 2024. We either win this election and make good on all the promises that we're making, or the Democrats are going to throw this country into a hole that's going to take us a generation to come out of.

I believe that decline is a choice. I believe success is attainable. And I know that freedom is worth fighting for. This is our chance in 2024 to send the Biden-Harris administration to the dustbin of history where it belongs. 

We have to rise to the occasion. We have to fight the good fight. We have to finish the race. And we have to keep the faith. The time for excuses is over. We must get the job done. I will get the job done. God bless you all. Thank you so much. 

We're doing all 99 counties in Iowa, because this caucus demands that you earn it, and you got to go meet the folks. So you'll see me everywhere. God bless you all. Thank you so much. Let's win in 2024.