Gov. Ron DeSantis took direct aim at President Biden during a budget-signing event Thursday afternoon in The Villages.
The governor was at Eisenhower Recreation Center to sign off on the $109 billion state budget which he said marked a number of firsts in the Sunshine State.
DeSantis, largely viewed as a top 2024 White House contender, took credit for leading Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the Biden Administration put hurdles in Florida’s path.
“He would have been better off, and we would have been better off, if he had simply got into office and did nothing,” DeSantis said.
He said Biden’s approval ratings are “in the toilet” and said if the president is wondering why is approval ratings are so low, “he should look in the mirror.”
DeSantis took specific aim at the Biden administration’s plan to forgive up to $10,000 in student for graduates who meet certain income guidelines.
“A plumber should not have to pay off the debt of some Phd who got a degree in gender studies,” DeSantis said, in a line that received a great deal of applause.
The governor also criticized the Biden administration’s border policy.
“The results have been catastrophic,” DeSantis.
He promised that if Biden sends illegal aliens to Florida, they will be rerouted to Biden’s home state of Delaware.
“We are prepared for whatever the president throws our way,” he said.
DeSantis said he is worried “a Biden-induced recession” could be on the horizon. He predicted oil at $150 a barrel and $5 unleaded gasoline throughout the nation.
The governor said that in preparation, Florida has built up a $3 billion rainy day fund, the largest in the state’s history. He said the budget also includes $1.3 billion in tax relief for Floridians.
“This state has never been in as good a fiscal position as we are today,” DeSantis said.
Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson praised DeSantis, calling him, “America’s Governor.”
