Voters in Florida and beyond had a rare opportunity to see DeSantis under pressure during the heated debate. Despite periodic interviews with friendly conservative media, he has limited his unscripted appearances in recent months.
During a furious debate only two weeks before the November general election, Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, pledged to ruin the political career of his Democratic challenger, Charlie Crist. Crist backed gender surgery for minors.
DeSantis stated that he understands that Crist is interested in talking about 2024 and Joe Biden, but he wants to be crystal clear: The only old, worn-out donkey he is looking to retire is Charlie Crist. DeSantis made the statement after Crist tried to force him to say whether he would run for president or serve another full term as governor if re-elected.
DeSantis asserted that the actions of President Joe Biden and Democrats like Crist were to blame for the record inflation afflicting the nation and that the two were at odds over the economy and how to combat it.
DeSantis, regarded as a potential rival to Biden in 2024, did not indicate whether he will complete a full second term as governor but instead criticized Crist’s 2007-2011 tax policy.
One of the most heated moments occurred when Crist supported gender transformation procedures for kids. When they refer to gender-affirming care, they are referring to the administration of puberty blockers to adolescent girls and boys, the performance of double mastectomies on young females, and the chemical castration of young boys. That is improper. When the moderator asked the candidates where they stood on “gender-affirming medical treatments and therapies,” DeSantis said, we will not allow that to occur in the state of Florida. DeSantis stated that they were taking the correct action, and it is wrong to do what is essentially genital mutilation.
Crist lashed out at DeSantis, comparing regulations preventing minors from getting similar operations to abortion restrictions. Stating that this reminds him of DeSantis’ stance on a woman’s right to choose. He accused DeSantis of believing he was more knowledgeable than any physician, doctor, or woman in a position to make decisions regarding her health. Crist added that DeSantis wished to serve as the judge so that he could dictate what individuals should do with their bodies, their health, and whether or not they should be able to exercise their choice as women. That is not acceptable, he added.
Crist stated that DeSantis lacked the temperament to be polite and decent to others who don’t look like him, act like him, or contribute to him. Because “we are all God’s children,” it is not the governor’s job to criticize what other people, especially women, should do with their bodies.
DeSantis fought back, stating that young kids lacked the knowledge to make such a decision, and he cited another legislation prohibiting teens from undergoing specific body modifications. He added that minors under age 15 could not get tattoos in Florida, but according to Crist, it’s okay for a minor to have a double mastectomy. Of course not. He stated that this is unacceptable for children, and we will not allow it to occur in Florida.
He told Crist he needed to be honest with voters about his support of minors being able to undergo sex changes. Crist responded by saying that it was a “tough decision” for a person to make and brought up abortion once more.
According to Crist, DeSantis failed to address the insurance crisis. Crist was absent during the storm (Hurricane Ian), according to DeSantis. “He was hiding out in Puerto Rico. He wasn’t helping his community,” DeSantis jabbed.