Nov 8, 2026 · 52 min
DeSantis revisits his case against Trump and federal power
A Second Look: Megyn's 2023 Sitdown with Gov. Ron DeSantis
The replay captures how Ron DeSantis paired an expansive presidential agenda with a combative theory of executive authority during the 2024 Republican primary.
- 1DeSantis proposed restructuring federal law enforcement and investigating officials responsible for COVID-era policies.
- 2He framed border security, inflation, abortion, and women’s sports as areas requiring aggressive national action.
- 3He challenged Donald Trump’s electability and endorsement claims while defending his Florida record and family life.
Don't miss
DeSantis lays out an unusually sweeping first-day agenda, pairing federal agency restructuring with investigations into COVID-era decisions and aggressive border action.
The brief
Megyn Kelly replays her 2023 conversation with Ron DeSantis as he returns to the national political conversation, inviting a fresh look at the ambitions and arguments behind his presidential bid.
DeSantis argues that the Department of Justice and FBI became unaccountable, calling for leadership changes, agency restructuring, and a major reckoning over federal law enforcement.
His agenda combines COVID accountability, aggressive border enforcement, spending restraint, and protections for women’s sports, with national action often taking precedence over state control.
The central political tension is Donald Trump: DeSantis disputes Trump’s electability, endorsement story, and past positions while arguing that no candidate is entitled to the Republican nomination.
The interview closes on the personal stakes of politics, as DeSantis defends his record in Florida and discusses Casey DeSantis’s cancer recovery and public role.
What was said on this episode
57 statements · 28 positive · 23 negative · 1 mixed · 5 neutral
Ron DeSantis has presidential aspirations for 2028.
“Does he have presidential aspirations for 2028? Duh. Obviously”
Listen at 0:26
Merrick Garland is unlikely to pursue Hunter Biden aggressively.
“I do not expect Merrick Garland to want to press hard against Hunter.”
Listen at 2:11
The FBI and Justice Department have become weaponized.
“We have a weaponized FBI and Justice Department.”
Listen at 2:29
Unaccountable concentrated government power will be abused.
“If you have sources of power and power accumulates and there's not constitutional accountability, human nature being what it is, they will abuse the power.”
Listen at 2:55
The FBI and DOJ should answer to the elected president.
“You answer to the elected president of the United States.”
Listen at 3:12
The FBI needs a new director and the DOJ needs a strong attorney general.
“You do need a new FBI director. You do need an attorney general has a backbone”
Listen at 3:46
Relocating agency divisions could make their workforce more politically representative.
“I think you would end up not having a situation where ninety nine percent of the people. donate to Democrats.”
Listen at 4:15
The FBI and DOJ require a major personnel overhaul.
“we need a major, major house cleaning”
Listen at 4:27
The federal COVID response harmed people and the country.
“the federal government's COVID response was a disaster. that hurt people, that hurt this country.”
Listen at 5:28
Fauci lockdowns and the CARES Act caused inflation.
“We would not have had the inflation that we had had they not done the Fauci lockdowns and the CARES Act and all this other stuff.”
Listen at 5:38
Officials will repeat COVID-era actions without accountability.
“if we don't hold them accountable, they are going to do it again.”
Listen at 6:34
The presidency requires greater energy and vigor.
“we need energy in the executive”
Listen at 7:43
A DeSantis presidency would begin aggressively on January 20, 2025.
“when I go in on day one, we will spit nails starting January 20th, 2025.”
Listen at 7:47
DeSantis would prepare executive orders before taking office.
“We're going to have all the executive orders written before we take office.”
Listen at 7:53
Joe Biden’s behavior weakens deterrence and allied confidence.
“it doesn't project strength to our adversaries. It doesn't inspire confidence in our allies.”
Listen at 8:34
DeSantis was performing strongly in early primary states.
“we are doing very, very well in places like Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina”
Listen at 9:14
DeSantis’s campaign received strong responses in early states.
“we've gotten an incredible response”
Listen at 10:14
DeSantis had more legislative endorsements in Iowa and New Hampshire than rivals.
“We've had more legislators in Iowa, New Hampshire endorse us than any other candidate”
Listen at 10:16
The Republican nominee should be able to defeat Joe Biden.
“we need someone that can beat Joe Biden”
Listen at 11:02
DeSantis fulfilled his promises as Florida governor.
“Everything I said I would do, we delivered on.”
Listen at 11:22
DeSantis beat Biden in Georgia and Arizona polling while Trump lost.
“in the key states like georgia arizona i beat biden trump loses to biden”
Listen at 11:56
DeSantis won more than 60% of Hispanic voters in Florida.
“we were able to make inroads winning 60 plus percent of Hispanic voters.”
Listen at 12:15
DeSantis won majorities of women and independents in Florida.
“We won a majority of female voters. We won independence by 18 percent.”
Listen at 12:20
Political candidates are not entitled to voter or politician support.
“Politicians have to earn support. Nobody's entitled to support.”
Listen at 17:46
No politician is entitled to the presidency by succession or turn.
“We're not a monarchy. It's nobody's turn.”
Listen at 18:42
Two presidential terms are needed to make policy changes durable.
“I think you do need two terms for this stuff to really, really stick.”
Listen at 19:12
Florida’s African-American history standards were developed by relevant scholars.
“those standards were developed by African-American history scholars”
Listen at 19:56
Florida’s standards honestly teach slavery’s injustice.
“they are very, very honest about the injustice of slavery.”
Listen at 21:44
Anheuser-Busch’s social activism harmed its business and stock price.
“That has caused a huge problem for their company and their stock price has gone down.”
Listen at 23:15
Anheuser-Busch InBev departed from its fiduciary duty.
“With InBev, they departed from their fiduciary duty.”
Listen at 24:07
Government may seek recourse when companies breach duties and harm people.
“If they depart from that and they harm people, then you have an opportunity to potentially have recourse.”
Listen at 24:50
Disney should be subject to the same laws as other companies.
“You're going to live under the same laws as everybody else.”
Listen at 26:28
Florida will confront large corporations to protect children.
“We are going to protect our kids, and we will take on big corporations to do so.”
Listen at 26:59
Disney is not entitled to special government benefits.
“They are not entitled to corporate welfare.”
Listen at 28:55
Disney’s former special Florida arrangement was unjustifiable.
“this was something that was just totally, totally unjustifiable.”
Listen at 30:33
Men competing in women’s sports reduces opportunities for female athletes.
“Men can't be injecting themselves into those competitions. It takes away opportunities for girls and for women athletes.”
Listen at 31:12
A DeSantis administration would pursue national protections for women’s sports and spaces.
“We will look within the constitutional authority of the federal government, we'll look to do the same for women's sports and those issues nationally.”
Listen at 31:33
Republican voters support protecting women’s sports from male competitors.
“our voters believe that standing up for women and girls means protecting their right to compete with integrity”
Listen at 32:30
DeSantis would govern as a pro-life president.
“I'll be a pro-life president and I will come down on the side of life.”
Listen at 34:49
DeSantis would end military-funded abortion travel.
“We're going to end the abortion tourism. that is in the military.”
Listen at 34:57
The federal government has an interest in abortion policy, but the country is divided.
“I think there is a federal interest, but I think the reality is that the country's divided on it.”
Listen at 36:00
A DeSantis administration would declare a border emergency and mobilize the military.
“Day one, we'll declare it a national emergency. I'll mobilize all resources, including the military.”
Listen at 37:07
DeSantis would reject what he considers illegitimate asylum claims.
“We're gonna stop the invasion. We're not gonna entertain the bogus asylum claims.”
Listen at 37:13
DeSantis would authorize Border Patrol and military force against Mexican cartels.
“we're gonna have both Border Patrol and military authorized to use deadly force against the Mexican drug cartels”
Listen at 37:21
DeSantis would take a more aggressive approach against drug cartels.
“we're going to lean in against the cartels in ways that other presidents have not been able to do.”
Listen at 38:20
Government policy caused the current inflation crisis.
“This is a government induced inflation crisis.”
Listen at 38:58
Large-scale borrowing, money creation, and spending cause inflation.
“when you borrow, print, and spend trillions and trillions of dollars like that, you are going to get inflation.”
Listen at 39:17
Congress should reduce spending to address inflation.
“you have to rein in Congress's spending”
Listen at 39:58
Rejecting the Green New Deal would help reduce inflationary pressure.
“if we open this up and realize we cannot do a Green New Deal, that is going to help impact inflation.”
Listen at 40:16
The DOJ and FBI have been weaponized against the public.
“I think that they have weaponized these agencies in ways that really hurts the cause of freedom.”
Listen at 40:56
Federal defendants charged in Washington should transfer cases to their home districts.
“give Americans the right to remove a case if they're charged in D.C. federally, remove it to their home judicial district.”
Listen at 41:44
Imprisoning Trump would be bad for the country.
“I don't think it would be good for the country to have an almost 80-year-old former president go to prison.”
Listen at 42:22
A DeSantis administration would pardon ordinary Americans unfairly targeted by government.
“We will wield the pardon power if. Normal Americans have been targeted unfairly.”
Listen at 42:59
Criticized conduct is not criminal without a violated statute.
“you can identify flawed conduct. You can criticize his conduct. But you have to find a statute. That was violated.”
Listen at 43:48
Applying conspiracy-against-rights statutes to Trump’s January 6 conduct would be improper.
“To take a statute like conspiracy against rights and try to shoehorn in his conduct on January 6th, that is what's going to cause people to say, well, wait a minute.”
Listen at 44:28
Disney has recently experienced weak stock performance and box-office receipts.
“their stock price has had a lot of trouble in the past year or two. And the receipts at the box office have not been good.”
Listen at 47:09
DeSantis believes his marriage improves his leadership.
“I'm a better leader because of my relationship with my wife.”
Listen at 48:10
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.
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