Ron DeSantis live: DeSantis hits out at vaccine mandates and Hunter Biden in first rally as candidate

Ron DeSantis gave his first 2024 campaign rally at an Iowa megachurch on Tuesday - attacking a predictable list of foes, including the federal government and its bureaucracy, Dr Fauci and Disney.

“No excuses, I will get the job done,” the Florida governor told the audience at Eternity Church on 30 May 30, in Clive, Iowa as he warned Republicans that they faced a Democratic sweep in 2024 if they did not learn to win elections again.

Earlier Mr DeSantis attacked his rival Donald Trump by saying “he’s taking the side of Disney in our fight down here in Florida. I’m standing for parents, I’m standing for children.”

Meanwhile, Florida attorney Michael Sasso, chosen by Mr DeSantis to be part of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District – given responsibility for  Walt Disney World’s special tax district in legislation passed in February – has resigned just three months after taking the job.

This comes with Mr DeSantis facing three new lawsuits after he signed a new law just hours before announcing his presidential campaign last week making it harder to vote in the Sunshine State.

Key Points

• DeSantis hits familiar targets of Fauci, Disney and ‘wokeism’ and illegal immigration in first rally as 2024 candidate

• Stepping up his criticism of Trump, DeSantis kicks off presidential campaign in Iowa

• DeSantis vows to ‘destroy leftism’ and accuses Trump of allying with Disney

• Governor hit by three federal lawsuits alleging voter suppression violate constitutional amendments

• Republican presidential candidates of color largely support DeSantis’ positions

Trump pledges to end birthright citizenship

10:36 , Joe Sommerlad

Donald Trump has vowed to end birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented migrants born on American soil, as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.

Speaking in his latest campaign video as he again seeks the Republican presidential nomination, Mr Trump said: “As part of my plan to secure the border on Day One, I will sign an executive order making clear to federal agencies that under the correct interpretation of the law, going forward the future children of illegal aliens will not receive automatic US citizenship.”

Member of DeSantis Disney governing board quits role

09:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A member of Gov Ron DeSantis’ Disney oversight board has resigned just three months into his tenure, Spectrum News 13 first reported.

Michael Sasso, an Orlando-based attorney, was one of five people Mr DeSantis appointed to the board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District after the state seized control of Walt Disney World’s special tax district earlier this year.

Abe Asher has the details.

Member of Ron DeSantis’ Disney governing board quits role

Peter Navarro to go on trial in September in January 6 contempt case

08:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Trump White House official Peter Navarro will stand trial in September on contempt of Congress charges filed after he refused to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.

US District Judge Amit Mehta set a 5 September trial date during a court appearance on Tuesday in Washington.

Read more...

Ex-Trump White House official Peter Navarro to go on trial in September in Jan. 6 contempt case

Chris Christie allies launch super PAC ahead of expected 2024 campaign

06:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Allies of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have launched a new super PAC to support his expected candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination.

Christie has painted himself as the only potential candidate willing to directly take on former President Donald Trump, who is currently leading the GOP field by wide margins. The former governor and federal prosecutor was a longtime friend and adviser to Trump, but broke with the former president over his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election, and has emerged as a leading Trump critic in the years since.

Read more...

Christie allies launch super PAC ahead of expected 2024 campaign for the GOP presidential nomination

Report: As documents probe closes in, Trump attorneys worry some may snitch to feds

04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

As the probe into whether former President Donald Trump or his advisers broke the law in their retention of documents including some potentially classified material from the White House nears its end, Mr Trump’s legal team is said to be fearing disloyalty.

The Daily Beast reported on Tuesday that the former president’s attorneys supposedly worry that some among them may decide to start talking to the Department of Justice, becoming witnesses in the case, as the attention of the agency turns to the actions of the legal team themselves.

Read more...

Trump attorneys worry some may snitch as documents probe closes in, report claims

Report: Trump lawyer discouraged from searching Mar-a-Lago office for documents

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

One of Donald Trump’s attorneys has said he was “waved off” from searching the former president’s office for classified documents in the weeks before FBI agents found more than 100 such records during a court-authorised search.

According to The Guardian, Evan Corcoran has told associates that several of the ex-president’s aides had told him he needed only to look in a storage room at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club when conducting a search so he could respond to a subpoena for the documents on Mr Trump’s behalf.

Read more...

Trump lawyer was discouraged from searching office for documents

Kimberly Guilfoyle threatens DeSantis

03:17 , Graeme Massie

Vocal Maga supporter Kimberly Guilfoyle on Saturday claimed that Ron DeSantis would “get hurt and damaged badly” by the Florida governor’s 2024 presidential bid against Donald Trump, the father of her boyfriend.

Sheila Flynn reports.

Kimberly Guilfoyle threatens DeSantis: ‘You’re going to get hurt, and damaged’

All the major lawsuits and investigations Trump is facing

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Lawsuits and investigations hung over Mr Trump throughout his business career and then his political one, including actions like the bombshell $250m lawsuit from New York attorney general Letitia James against Mr Trump and three of his children for a host of allegedly fraudulent business practices, a suit which joins an estimated 4,000 cases Mr Trump has faced in his lifetime.

Things haven’t only gotten more complicated now that he’s a private citizen without the backing of the Justice Department. No former president has ever been indicted for criminal conduct.

The usually blustery ex-president may finally be feeling the heat, after reportedly telling an associate that since leaving office, he’s worried people across the country are going to be “suing me for the rest of my life.”

Here’s what you need to know about all the major investigations and lawsuits against Donald Trump.

Donald Trump under arrest: All the other major lawsuits he is also facing

Utah Republican Chris Stewart planning to resign from Congress

02:15 , Oliver O'Connell

US Rep Chris Stewart, R-Utah, is planning to leave Congress due to his wife’s illness by the end of this year, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The six-term Utah Republican will announce on Wednesday that he will likely leave office by the end of the year, leaving an open Republican seat on the House Appropriations and Intelligence committees. The person familiar with the matter spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly prior to the planned announcement.

Read more...

Utah Republican Chris Stewart planning to resign from Congress, AP source says

DeSantis takes swipe at Trump for cancelling his Iowa event

02:02 , Graeme Massie

Trump boasts about poll numbers against DeSantis during rally

01:46 , Graeme Massie

“Kayleigh “Milktoast”McEnany just gave out the wrong poll numbers on FoxNews,” the one-term president wrote on Truth Social.

I am 34 points up on DeSanctimonious, not 25 up. While 25 is great, it’s not 34. She knew the number was corrected upwards by the group that did the poll. The RINOS & Globalists can have her. FoxNews should only use REAL Stars!!!”

Scenes from first Ron DeSantis campaign rally

01:31 , Graeme Massie

DeSantis hits familiar targets of Fauci, Disney and ‘wokeism’ and illegal immigration in first rally as 2024 candidate

01:20 , Graeme Massie

Florida governor begins quest for GOP nomination without mention of Donald Trump.

John Bowden has all the details.

DeSantis hits familiar targets of Fauci, Disney and ‘wokeism’ in first 2024 rally

DeSantis slams Disney again in first campaign rally

01:12 , Graeme Massie

Pictures from the first Ron DeSantis campaign rally in Iowa

Wednesday 31 May 2023 00:56 , Graeme Massie

Pictures from DeSantis rally in Iowa

Wednesday 31 May 2023 00:51 , Graeme Massie

DeSantis hits out at vaccine mandates and Hunter Biden in first rally as candidate

Wednesday 31 May 2023 00:43 , Graeme Massie

“If Hunter had been a Republican he would have been in prison years ago,” claimed the Florida governor, repeating Donald Trump’s well-worn attacks on the president’s son.

Fox News host suggests Pentagon may have DeSantis war crimes pictures

Wednesday 31 May 2023 00:05 , Graeme Massie

“I’m sure the Pentagon probably has a picture of him stacking up Iraqi bodies in a Baghdad prison cell,” said Jesse Watters on the right-wing news channel.

Ron DeSantis vows to ‘destroy leftism’

Tuesday 30 May 2023 23:52 , Oliver O'Connell

Ron DeSantis has made clear what he believes the purpose of his 2024 candidacy to be: The utter destruction of the Democratic Party and its ideology.

The Florida governor spoke on Fox & Friends on Monday and made the bold claim that not only would he win the general election should Republican voters nominate him in the primary, but added that he would “destroy leftism in this country” if allowed to serve in the White House.

John Bowden reports.

Ron DeSantis vows to ‘destroy leftism’ if he wins 2024 race

Trump blames DeSantis for Disney becoming ‘woke’ and ‘disgusting'

Tuesday 30 May 2023 23:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has criticised Ron DeSantis for not taking on Disney sooner, suggesting his main rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination could have prevented the entertainment giant from becoming – in his words – “woke” and “disgusting”.

Mr Trump lashed out at both Disney and Mr DeSantis on Sunday as the Florida governor remains locked in a feud with one of America’s best-loved brands, after it opposed his so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Read more...

Trump says DeSantis to blame for Disney becoming ‘woke’ and ‘disgusting’

The more GOP rivals, the better for Trump?

Tuesday 30 May 2023 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

When Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina launched his campaign for the White House last week, the notoriously prickly former President Donald Trump welcomed his new competitor with open arms.

There were no accusations of disloyalty or nasty nicknames from the GOP front-runner like the barrage he unleashed when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, considered his leading rival, joined the race two days later with a bungled Twitter announcement.

Read more...

Trump's welcome of Scott into 2024 race shows his calculus: The more GOP rivals, the better for him

Tonight: DeSantis hits presidential campaign trail in Iowa

Tuesday 30 May 2023 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Ron DeSantis is kicking off his presidential campaign in Iowa this evening, the start of a busy week that will take him to 12 cities in three states as he tests his pitch as the most formidable Republican challenger to former President Donald Trump.

The Florida governor’s two-day trip to the leadoff caucus state — starting at a suburban Des Moines megachurch and ending at a Cedar Rapids racetrack — comes after a stumbling online announcement last week that formalised his long-anticipated entry into the growing Republican field. It will be followed by stops in early primary states New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Read more about what the governor has planned and stay tuned as we cover tonight’s first event at Eternity Church in Clive.

DeSantis kicks off presidential campaign in Iowa as he steps up criticism of Trump

Voices: Fair-weather DeSantis’ climate change rejection is ‘politicization’ at its finest

Tuesday 30 May 2023 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

David Callaway writes:

Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis wasted no time cementing his role as climate-denier-in-chief last week when on the first day of his campaign he boldly stated that he rejected the “politicization of weather.”

Stoking the culture wars that are certain to form the bedrock of his campaign, DeSantis fell back on the familiar denier’s claim that climate change is normal and that environmental actions are nothing more than a sinister, “woke,” political effort to slash American freedoms.

Read more...

Fair-weather DeSantis’ climate change rejection is ‘politicization’ at its finest

DeSantis and Trump poll closer on favourability

Tuesday 30 May 2023 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

While Donald Trump still dominates the Republican field of primary candidates, Ron DeSantis is close behind him in favourability amongst Republican voters.

The former president has a 77 per cent to 17 per cent favourable to unfavourable rating, whereas the Florida governor is right behind him, rated as 73 per cent to 12 per cent.

They are both significantly ahead of Nikki Haley, Mike Pence and Tim Scott who are clustered together in the mid-forties range on favourable, but have quite divergent unfavourable ratings.

The poll, conducted nationally by Monmouth, took place between 18-24 May, ahead of the DeSantis 2024 announcement.

Trump still dominates in first 2024 GOP poll since DeSantis announcement

Tuesday 30 May 2023 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

In the first Republican Party 2024 primary poll conducted since Ron DeSantis officially entered the race, Donald Trump still holds a commanding lead over the other candidates.

The former president has a substantial lead over the Florida governor, with Mr Trump ahead with 43 per cent of the vote and Mr DeSantis in second place with 18 per cent.

Commissioned by American Greatness, the poll of 500 likely South Carolina Republican primary voters was conducted by National Research Inc.

Read more...

Trump still dominates in first 2024 GOP poll since DeSantis announcement

Watch: Gaetz threatens McCarthy speakership over debt ceiling compromise

Tuesday 30 May 2023 21:37 , Oliver O'Connell

Ron DeSantis vows to ‘destroy leftism’ if he wins 2024 race

Tuesday 30 May 2023 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Ron DeSantis has made clear what he believes the purpose of his 2024 candidacy to be: The utter destruction of the Democratic Party and its ideology.

The Florida governor spoke on Fox & Friends on Monday and made the bold claim that not only would he win the general election should Republican voters nominate him in the primary, but added that he would “destroy leftism in this country” if allowed to serve in the White House.

John Bowden has the full story.

Ron DeSantis vows to ‘destroy leftism’ if he wins 2024 race

Asa Hutchinson says no pardon for Trump if he’s elected

Tuesday 30 May 2023 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Arkansas Governor and GOP presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson has said he would not offer former President Donald Trump a pardon if he was elected in 2024.

In an appearance on ABC’s The View on Tuesday morning, Mr Hutchinson was asked by co-host Joy Behar if there he would offer a pardon to Mr Trump as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he would.

“No,” Mr Hutchinson said, chuckling.

Earlier in the day during an appearance on Fox & Friends, Mr Hutchinson had avoided committing to a Trump pardon.

Mr Hutchinson also told The View : “I think you're defending the indefensible if you try to defend January 6. It was wrong, it was an attack on our democracy and it shouldn't have happened.”

Watch:

First 2024 poll since DeSantis announcement shows Trump still in lead of GOP candidates

Tuesday 30 May 2023 20:30 , Oliver O'Connell

In the first Republican Party 2024 primary poll conducted since Ron DeSantis officially entered the race, Donald Trump still holds a commanding lead over the other candidates.

The former president has a substantial lead over the Florida governor with Mr Trump ahead with 43 per cent of the vote and Mr DeSantis in second place with 18 per cent.

Commissioned by American Greatness, the poll of 500 likely South Carolina Republican primary voters was conducted by National Research Inc.

The results were published on 26 May and have South Carolina Senator Tim Scott in third place with 12 per cent of the vote and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley in fourth place with 10 per cent.

As with Mr DeSantis, Senator Scott only declared his candidacy last week on 22 May, with the Florida governor officially announcing his run for the White House on 24 May in an glitchy and much derided Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk.

“Wow! The DeSanctus TWITTER launch is a DISASTER! His whole campaign will be a disaster,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The former president has been taking aim at Mr DeSantis for months, attacking him on a number of issues including his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in his state, and insisting he would not have been elected without a Trump endorsement.

Since his campaign launch, Mr DeSantis has blitzed rightwing media with appearances and has now hit the campaign trail with stops scheduled in 12 cities across three early voting states this week — Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

Four other GOP candidates failed to make much of an impression in the American Greatness poll, with Asa Hutchinson, Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Chris Sununu each getting one per cent of the vote.

On the question of favourability, Mr Trump leads Mr DeSantis by only six points, with 72 per cent to 66 per cent.

However, slightly more of those polled had an unfavourable opinion of Mr Trump versus the Florida governors, at 25 per cent to 24 per cent.

Member of DeSantis’ Disney governing board quits role

Tuesday 30 May 2023 20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A member of Gov Ron DeSantis’ Disney oversight board has resigned just three months into his tenure, Spectrum News 13 first reported.

Michael Sasso, an Orlando-based attorney, was one of five people Mr DeSantis appointed to the board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District after the state seized control of Walt Disney World’s special tax district earlier this year.

Abe Asher has the story.

Member of Ron DeSantis’ Disney governing board quits role

AOC threatens to leave Twitter over ‘disgusting’ account impersonating her

Tuesday 30 May 2023 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Alexia Ocasio-Cortez has threatened to quit Twitter after Elon Musk promoted a “sick” account impersonating the star Democratic politician.

The New York congresswoman said that she was “assessing” what to do after the billionaire interacted with the fake account on his social media platform.

Graeme Massie reports.

AOC threatens to leave Twitter after Musk promotes account impersonating her

Tuesday 30 May 2023 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Woman who threatened Pelosi with hanging during Capitol riot sentenced

Tuesday 30 May 2023 19:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A Pennsylvania restaurant owner who screamed death threats directed at then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi while storming the US Capitol was sentenced today to more than two years in prison.

Pauline Bauer was near Pelosi’s office suite on 6 January 2021, when she yelled at police officers to bring out the California Democrat so the mob of Donald Trump supporters could hang her.

Read more...

Woman who threatened Nancy Pelosi with hanging during Capitol riot gets over 2 years in prison

Christie allies launch super PAC ahead of expected 2024 campaign

Tuesday 30 May 2023 18:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Allies of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have launched a new super PAC to support his expected candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination.

Christie has painted himself as the only potential candidate willing to directly take on former President Donald Trump, who is currently leading the GOP field by wide margins. The former governor and federal prosecutor was a longtime friend and adviser to Trump, but broke with the former president over his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election, and has emerged as a leading Trump critic in the years since.

Read more...

Christie allies launch super PAC ahead of expected 2024 campaign for the GOP presidential nomination

Trump hits DeSantis on Covid deaths

Tuesday 30 May 2023 18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump has hit out at Republican 2024 candidate and rival Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over his state’s record with death from Covid-19 during the pandemic.

Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social:

Under Ron DeSanctimonious as Governor, Florida was the third WORST State in Deaths by Covid. So why do they say that DeSanctus did a good job? New York had fewer deaths! Also, he shut down the State, and even its beaches (unlike other Republican Governors).

This is not the first time he has brought up the governor’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in his state.

LGBTQ people are fleeing Florida in ‘mass migration’

Tuesday 30 May 2023 18:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Anti-LGBT+ laws put in place by Florida Governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis have triggered a “mass migration” out of the state, a Pride organiser has said.

This comes as several transgender people are reportedly taking to GoFundMe to solicit donations to move out of the state.

Several Pride groups in the Sunshine State have cancelled their celebrations that were set to take place during the month of June after the new laws have left the community worried about possible blowback.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

LGBTQ people are fleeing Florida in ‘mass migration’ with some fundraising onGoFundMe

Report: Trump lawyer was discouraged from searching office for documents

Tuesday 30 May 2023 17:45 , Oliver O'Connell

One of Donald Trump’s attorneys has said he was “waved off” from searching the former president’s office for classified documents in the weeks before FBI agents found more than 100 such records during a court-authorised search.

According to The Guardian, Evan Corcoran has told associates that several of the ex-president’s aides had told him he needed only to look in a storage room at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club when conducting a search so he could respond to a subpoena for the documents on Mr Trump’s behalf.

Andrew Feinberg has the latest.

Trump lawyer was discouraged from searching office for documents

Trial date set for Peter Navarro

Tuesday 30 May 2023 17:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro will stand trial on 5 September on contempt of Congress charges for defying a subpoena from the January 6 committee, Judge Amit Mehta said in court today.

Watch: House GOP Freedom Caucus unhappy with debt ceiling deal

Tuesday 30 May 2023 17:20 , Oliver O'Connell

“This deal fails, fails completely… we will do everything in our power to stop it and end it now,” says Republican Rep Scott Perry.

Report: Trump attorneys worry some among them may snitch to feds

Tuesday 30 May 2023 17:15 , Oliver O'Connell

As the probe into whether former President Donald Trump or his advisers broke the law in their retention of documents including some potentially classified material from the White House nears its end, Mr Trump’s legal team is said to be fearing disloyalty.

The Daily Beast reported on Tuesday that the former president’s attorneys supposedly worry that some among them may decide to start talking to the Justice Department, becoming witnesses in the case, as the attention of the agency turns to the actions of the legal team themselves.

John Bowden reports.

Trump attorneys worry some may snitch as documents probe closes in, report claims

Biden laughs off idea of Trump pardon

Tuesday 30 May 2023 16:45 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden on Monday scoffed at the idea of granting his predecessor, former president Donald Trump, a pardon absolving him of any crimes he may have committed during or after his presidency.

Mr Biden was asked if he’d consider a reprieve for Mr Trump as he departed the White House en route to his Delaware home on Monday.

Read more...

Biden laughs off idea of Trump pardon after DeSantis pledges to consider it

Ted Cruz faces bipartisan ire for criticism of Uganda’s new anti-LGBT+ law

Tuesday 30 May 2023 16:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Ted Cruz is facing backlash on Twitter from both sides of the political spectrum following his criticism of Uganda’s stringent new anti-LGBT+ laws.

On Monday, the Republican senator responded to a New York Times article on Twitter which described Uganda’s new legislation as “among the most restrictive of its kind in the world”.

Sravasti Dasgupta looks at the reaction:

Ted Cruz faces bipartisan fire for criticising Uganda’s new anti-LGBT+ law

Trump says he will end automatic citizenship for children of illegal aliens

Tuesday 30 May 2023 15:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump has posted a video promising to end automatic citizenship for the children of those who cross into the US illegally. In a post on Truth Social, he wrote: “As part of my plan to Secure the Border, on day one of my new term in office — I will sign an Executive Order ending automatic citizenship for the children of illegal aliens.”

Mr Trump claims twice in the video that many of those coming over the border are coming from “mental institutions”. He says that by ending automatic citizenship he will choke off a major incentive for those coming into the US illegally.

Watch below: