Amid encouraging new poll numbers, Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that he would try to eliminate several government agencies if elected.
“Are you in favor of eliminating any agencies? I know conservatives in the past have talked about closing the Department of Education, would you do that?” Fox News host Martha MacCallum asked the Florida governor on “The Story.”
“We would do (the Department of) Education, we would do (Department of) Commerce, we’d do (Department of) Energy, and we would do IRS,” DeSantis replied. “And so if Congress will work with me on doing that, we’ll be able to reduce the size and scope of government.”
DeSantis noted that if that turned out to be too tall an order, he would transform those agencies to help him push back against the woke ideology that has infested all of America’s institutions.
“But what I’m also going to do, Martha, is be prepared if Congress won’t go that far, I’m going to use those agencies to push back against woke ideology and against the leftism that we see creeping into all institutions of American life,” he said.
WATCH: Ron DeSantis says as President he would eliminate the Education, Commerce, Energy and IRS agencies pic.twitter.com/AVwlENHZh2
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 28, 2023
DeSantis also voiced support for defunding the IRS during an interview with conservative radio host Dana Loesch, last month.
“If Congress defunded the IRS and sent such a bill like that to your desk, number one, would you sign it?” Loesch asked. “And then what would you replace the system with? Are you for like a fair tax? A flat tax? Where do you stand on that?”
“So, the answer’s yes,” DeSantis said in response. “I think the IRS is a corrupt organization and I think it’s not a friend to the average citizen or taxpayer. And so we need something totally different.”
“I’ve supported all of the single rate proposals, I think they would be a huge improvement over the current system,” the governor added. “And I would be welcoming to take this tax system, chunk it out the window, and do something that’s more favorable to the average folks.”
DeSantis told MacCallum that his administration would bring “major accountability” not only to the IRS, but to the corrupt Department of Justice, and the FBI, as well.
“We’re going to bring major accountability to the DOJ, to the FBI, IRS. That requires a president that’s disciplined, that’s determined, and that’s not going to get distracted and take their eye off the ball,” he said.
DeSantis: We will Break the Swamp.
“We’re going to bring major accountability to the DOJ, to the FBI, IRS. That requires a president that’s disciplined, that’s determined, and that’s not going to get distracted and take their eye off the ball.” pic.twitter.com/CyNaI0JQGE
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) June 28, 2023
The Florida governor’s bold comments came the same day a new poll of Wisconsin voters by Marquette Law School showed a tight primary race between DeSantis and former president Donald Trump in a crowded field. In a head-to-head matchup, DeSantis has a double-digit lead against Trump.
First @MULawPoll look at Wisconsin's '24 GOP presidential primary:
Full field:
Trump 31%@RonDeSantis 30%
Undecided 21%Trump head-to-head w/ DeSantis
DeSantis 57%
Trump 41%Sample includes Republicans and GOP-leaning voters.
— JR Ross (@jrrosswrites) June 28, 2023
The poll also shows that DeSantis would be a much stronger GOP candidate to beat Biden in the general election:
New Marquette Law School Poll finds that if the presidential election were held now, 49% of registered Wisconsin voters would vote for Biden, 47% for DeSantis. Between Biden and Trump, 52% would vote for Biden and 43% for Trump. #mulawpoll
— MULawPoll (@MULawPoll) June 28, 2023
Yeah, Reagan tried that and failed; does the most awkward of politicians think he can really eliminate the DoE? Oh, and “The Secure Fence Act of 2006”… Yeah… ‘Republicans’ did such a great job there = nothing. Campaign promises turned into campaign cash on our backs. No thanks.
Rob DeSanctis will do none of this if elected.
In two terms Mayor Rudy Giuliani did a lot but still was unable to get the NYC Department of Ed to provide the figures that substantiated their 44 billion dollar requested budget which was more than the total budgets for over 80 percent of the states. He did a lot but it took the next Mayor’s Administration to finally get the job he started done.
The reason people will vote for Trump is because he has a record. He kept far more of his promises than any previous politician had. Trump will not do everything because these bureaucrats have entrenched themselves. DeSantis is saying the right things but I, and many others, would rather take a chance on Trump getting half of what he promises done than bet on a newcomer.
Trump understands NYC because he dealt with their many unions for decades. He is one very tough negotiator. He is not always a nice guy. In fact most of the time he wasn’t but he got the job done for himself. Now I trust he will get the job done for his client, the American citizen, even if it costs him much of his own prior success.
OK, so what other chouces do you have? For one thing, both Trump, DeSantis and Vivek are to the right of most elected Republicabs. By campaigning to abolish these agencies, these candidates will bring out voters that support these policies, and they will vote down the ticket for those that align with those policies. I say thats our best hope.
What are your ideas?
I am astounded that Biden gets such high polling numbers. I understand that many Dems will vote straight ticket, but for Biden? This has got to mean that the deep state and the woke corporate media have been effective in keeping the left-wing voters in the dark.