Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis brushed off a protest Friday night as he spoke to Republicans at a fundraising dinner in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Video posted to Twitter shows DeSantis regarding the protesters with a quizzical, bemused expression as they rushed the podium where he was speaking, interrupting his speech.
“Jews against DeSantis,” one woman called out.
#BREAKING: Protestors storm an unphased Gov. Ron DeSantis at New Hampshire event
They chanted “Jews against DeSantis!”
DeSantis: “Why you’d want to pay the ticket to get in just to do that, I don’t know!” pic.twitter.com/zwNnlz7590
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) April 14, 2023
Trending:
“You gotta have a little spice in the speech, right?” DeSantis quipped. “I mean, you gotta have a little fun.”
“Why you’d want to pay the ticket to get in just to do that, I don’t know, but different strokes for different folks,” the governor added.
Protester rushes the stage at Ron Desantis event in Manchester, NH. @NEWSMAX pic.twitter.com/lOYPOwG0pn
— Mike Carter (@MikeCarterTV) April 14, 2023
Did DeSantis handle the protestors well?
Yes: 99% (571 Votes)
No: 1% (6 Votes)
BREAKING: @GovRonDeSantis of Florida was interrupted by a group of female protesters a few minutes into his speech at the New Hampshire GOP’s annual fundraising dinner. The protesters appeared to chant “Jews Against DeSantis” before they were removed by security. DeSantis… pic.twitter.com/P9MMwG8tpO
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) April 15, 2023
DeSantis later posted a comment on Twitter.
“Thank you to the @NHGOP for a great night in the Granite State. Decline is a choice. Success is attainable. Freedom is worth fighting for. Live free or die!” he wrote.
Thank you to the @NHGOP for a great night in the Granite State.
Decline is a choice. Success is attainable. Freedom is worth fighting for.
Live free or die! pic.twitter.com/e0eLE8kZgC
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantisFL) April 15, 2023
DeSantis has positioned himself as a candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination for president but has so far not publicly announced that he will challenge former President Donald Trump, largely viewed as the favorite to secure the nomination, and others who have entered the contest. His trip to New Hampshire marks a visit to an important early primary state.
“If the election of 2024 is a referendum on Joe Biden and his failed policies, and we provide a fresh vision for American renewal, Republicans will win the White House, the House, and the U.S. Senate,” DeSantis said, according to USA Today.
“I am very proud of what we have accomplished in the state of Florida, but I can tell you this, I have only begun to fight,” DeSantis said.
In his speech, he noted his accomplishments in Florida, according to WMUR-TV.
“We don’t have leaks, we don’t have drama, all we do is get the job done and what that means is we beat the left day after day, week after week, year after year,” he said.
DeSantis has framed himself as a counterpoint to “woke,” leftist ideology, particularly on the issue of pushing transgenderism in public schools.
“It is wrong to tell a second-grader they were born in the wrong body. It is wrong to tell students they can change their gender,” DeSantis said.
