https://www.scmp.com/rss/517779/feed The latest news on Ron DeSantis, American politician and governor of Florida, including United States news and politics in the United States. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse An airport in Florida will soon be renamed after US President Donald Trump, after a bill proposing the change was approved by the state’s legislature on Thursday. Trump, a real estate mogul who has plastered his name on buildings around the world, has sought to leave his mark on the country in an unprecedented image and building campaign. Florida’s Republican-led legislature approved a bill to rename the Palm Beach International Airport as the President Donald J. Trump International Airport,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344142/trumps-name-cleared-land-palm-beach-airport-after-florida-republicans-pass-bill?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344142/trumps-name-cleared-land-palm-beach-airport-after-florida-republicans-pass-bill?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 09:38:00 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han A US federal appeal court has paved the way for Florida to enforce a law restricting real estate purchases by Chinese citizens, rejecting arguments that it conflicts with federal law or is discriminatory. The 2-1 ruling by the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta on Tuesday could embolden other states to enact similar laws, which critics say mirror early 20th century “alien land” laws that restricted property ownership by Chinese and Japanese nationals. Six states are currently... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3331544/us-court-says-florida-can-ban-chinese-citizens-buying-property?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3331544/us-court-says-florida-can-ban-chinese-citizens-buying-property?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2025 19:23:31 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A US appeal court ruled on Thursday that a Florida migrant detention centre known as “Alligator Alcatraz” can remain open for now. A lower court judge had barred the Trump administration and Florida officials last month from bringing any new migrants to the facility and for much of the site to be dismantled, effectively shutting it down. But a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday that the detention centre can remain open while a Trump administration appeal of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3324400/trumps-alligator-alcatraz-can-stay-open-now-us-appeal-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3324400/trumps-alligator-alcatraz-can-stay-open-now-us-appeal-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 21:24:24 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Florida could be on the hook for US$218 million the state spent to convert a remote training airport in the Everglades into an immigration detention centre dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz”. The centre may soon be completely empty as a judge upheld her decision late Wednesday ordering operations to wind down indefinitely. Shutting down the facility for the time being would cost the state US$15 million to US$20 million immediately, and it would cost another US$15 million to US$20 million to reinstall... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3323551/blow-trump-judge-orders-floridas-alligator-alcatraz-close?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3323551/blow-trump-judge-orders-floridas-alligator-alcatraz-close?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Aug 2025 15:36:38 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A top Florida official says the controversial state-run immigration detention facility in the Everglades is likely to be empty in a matter of days, even as Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration and the federal government fight a judge’s order to close the facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by late October. That is according to an email exchange shared with The Associated Press. In a message sent to South Florida Rabbi Mario Rojzman on August 22 related to providing chaplaincy... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3323406/trumps-alligator-alcatraz-likely-be-empty-within-days-top-florida-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3323406/trumps-alligator-alcatraz-likely-be-empty-within-days-top-florida-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 18:42:46 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A US federal judge has put a stop to further expansion of the immigration detention centre built in the Florida Everglades and dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz, ordering that its operations wind down within two months. US District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami wrote in her 82-page order late on Thursday that Florida officials never sufficiently explained why an immigration detention centre needed to be located in the middle of sensitive wetlands cherished by environmentalists and outdoor... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3322899/floridas-alligator-alcatraz-faces-closure-what-happens-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3322899/floridas-alligator-alcatraz-faces-closure-what-happens-now?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Aug 2025 01:27:55 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration is preparing to open a second immigration detention facility dubbed “Deportation Depot” at a state prison in north Florida, as a federal judge decides the fate of the state’s holding centre for immigrants at an isolated airstrip in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz”. DeSantis announced Thursday that the new facility is to be housed at the Baker Correctional Institution, a state prison about 69km (43 miles) west of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3321910/after-alligator-alcatraz-florida-unveils-plans-deportation-depot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3321910/after-alligator-alcatraz-florida-unveils-plans-deportation-depot?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Aug 2025 17:23:30 +0000 Reuters Reuters The escalating political fight over the Texas congressional map was spreading across other states across the country, triggering an unprecedented mid-decade redistricting arms race with the balance of power in Washington at stake. At President Donald Trump’s urging, Texas Republicans have proposed new congressional districts aimed at flipping five Democrat-held US House seats in next year’s midterm elections, further skewing what was already considered a deeply partisan map in that state. In... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3320880/trump-led-texas-redistricting-gambit-ignites-national-arms-race-control-us-congress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3320880/trump-led-texas-redistricting-gambit-ignites-national-arms-race-control-us-congress?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Aug 2025 23:27:13 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Civil rights lawyers seeking a temporary restraining order against an immigration detention centre in the Florida Everglades say that “Alligator Alcatraz” detainees have been barred from meeting lawyers, are being held without any charges and that a federal immigration court has cancelled bond hearings. The immigration lawyers argued on Monday during a virtual hearing that the detainees’ constitutional rights were being violated and that 100 detainees already had been deported from “Alligator... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3319903/alligator-alcatraz-detainees-held-without-charges-barred-legal-access-lawyers-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3319903/alligator-alcatraz-detainees-held-without-charges-barred-legal-access-lawyers-say?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2025 18:35:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Worms in the food. Toilets that don’t flush, flooding floors with faecal waste. Days without a shower or prescription medicine. Mosquitoes and insects everywhere. Lights on all night. Air conditioners that suddenly shut off in the tropical heat. Detainees forced to use recorded phone lines to speak with their lawyers and loved ones. Only days after US President Donald Trump toured a new immigration detention centre in the Florida Everglades that officials have dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz”, these... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3317950/inside-trumps-alligator-alcatraz-worms-food-sewage-near-beds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3317950/inside-trumps-alligator-alcatraz-worms-food-sewage-near-beds?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Jul 2025 20:50:01 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump on Tuesday toured a remote migrant detention centre in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” as his Republican allies advanced a sweeping spending bill that could ramp up deportations. The facility sits some 60km (37 miles) from Miami in a vast subtropical wetland teeming with alligators, crocodiles and pythons, fearsome imagery the White House has leveraged to show its determination to purge migrants it says were wrongly allowed to stay in the country... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3316562/trump-tours-alligator-alcatraz-says-he-wants-such-facilities-many-states?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3316562/trump-tours-alligator-alcatraz-says-he-wants-such-facilities-many-states?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Jul 2025 19:45:21 +0000 Lynn Farah Lynn Farah US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has emerged as one of the most influential figures in Donald Trump’s administration, despite having once been the president’s political rival. As the flag-bearer of hardline immigration policies, global tariffs and a new era of strained international relations under Trump, Rubio has become the face of America’s uncompromising foreign policy. Yet behind the polished veneer of political power lies a family history riddled with drama. The Rubio clan’s exploits... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3309189/who-are-us-secretary-state-marco-rubios-siblings-mario-barbara-and-veronica-his-brother-law-worked?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3309189/who-are-us-secretary-state-marco-rubios-siblings-mario-barbara-and-veronica-his-brother-law-worked?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 May 2025 21:00:08 +0000 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis entered the 2024 presidential race last May with swagger, high expectations and US$130 million in the bank under the direction of a top Republican strategist. His was a campaign with so much promise. It began to fall apart weeks after it launched. He exited the race on Sunday less than a year later with cratering poll numbers, a team fractured by infighting and a laundry list of regrets. The political world will study his campaign as an example of what not to do:... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3249311/how-ron-desantis-2024-presidential-campaign-unravelled-hubris-infighting-and-awkward-moments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3249311/how-ron-desantis-2024-presidential-campaign-unravelled-hubris-infighting-and-awkward-moments?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jan 2024 05:58:41 +0000 Donald Trump’s effort to march to the Republican presidential nomination faces perhaps its greatest challenge on Tuesday when voters in New Hampshire hold the first-in-the-nation primary. With Ron DeSantis ending his 2024 campaign and endorsing Trump on Sunday, the primary becomes the first one-on-one match-up between Trump and Nikki Haley. The former president enters the contest emboldened by his record-setting performance in last week’s Iowa caucuses. But New Hampshire has a more moderate... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3249283/can-donald-trump-be-stopped-key-questions-ahead-new-hampshire-after-ron-desantis-drops-out-2024-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3249283/can-donald-trump-be-stopped-key-questions-ahead-new-hampshire-after-ron-desantis-drops-out-2024-race?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jan 2024 02:37:38 +0000 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suspended his Republican presidential campaign on Sunday, ending his 2024 White House bid just before the New Hampshire primary while endorsing his bitter rival Donald Trump. The decision leaves Trump and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley as the last major candidates remaining in the race ahead of Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary. This is the scenario Trump’s foes in the Republican Party have long sought, raising the stakes for this week’s contest as the party’s last... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3249272/ron-desantis-ends-presidential-bid-new-hampshire-after-falling-far-short-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3249272/ron-desantis-ends-presidential-bid-new-hampshire-after-falling-far-short-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Jan 2024 20:31:51 +0000 Donald Trump secured a resounding victory in the first 2024 Republican presidential contest in Iowa, asserting his command over the party despite facing scores of criminal charges as he seeks a rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, 45, finished well behind in second place, edging out former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, 51, as they battle to emerge as the chief alternative to Trump. Trump, 77, won by an unprecedented margin for an Iowa Republican contest,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3248559/donald-trump-wins-iowa-republican-caucuses-us-media-projections?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3248559/donald-trump-wins-iowa-republican-caucuses-us-media-projections?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Jan 2024 01:58:52 +0000 A two-decades-old joint US-China hospitality programme. Researchers across all academic disciplines. Scholarship recipients at a prestigious private elementary school. Chinese purchases of homes in Florida. College students who want to talk to family members in China. These are some of the early victims of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ recent anti-Chinese influence legislation in the state – moves observers believe he made to help secure his 2024 presidential bid, and moves that he touted in at... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3248304/anti-chinese-laws-take-toll-florida-even-ron-desantis-falters-his-presidential-run?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3248304/anti-chinese-laws-take-toll-florida-even-ron-desantis-falters-his-presidential-run?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jan 2024 21:29:40 +0000 Two Republicans jostling for a distant second place behind Donald Trump in their race to be party flag-bearer took potshots at the former US president on Thursday, days before the first vote in the White House nomination process. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and one-time UN ambassador Nikki Haley turned their fire on their party’s presumptive nominee just 11 days before Republican voters in Iowa make their choice. Neither candidate mentioned the other much during back-to-back “town hall” events... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3247383/nikki-haley-and-ron-desantis-turn-fire-donald-trump-republican-2024-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3247383/nikki-haley-and-ron-desantis-turn-fire-donald-trump-republican-2024-race?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jan 2024 06:41:19 +0000 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis focused on the challenge presented by China in a foreign policy address, saying the country posed a “formidable threat” to the US and accusing Beijing of contributing to global instability through its economic links to Russia and Iran. “China is the key player behind both of those foreign conflicts,” DeSantis said Friday, linking Beijing to the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Gaza conflict, in an address at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3239508/ron-desantis-says-china-creates-conflict-propping-russia-and-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3239508/ron-desantis-says-china-creates-conflict-propping-russia-and-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Oct 2023 17:55:36 +0000 Republican US presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis said he opposes Nato membership for Ukraine, saying he does not think it is in the United States’ security interest. “I don’t think Nato membership is in our interest, to me,” DeSantis said on The Glenn Beck Programme podcast. “All that would do was add more obligations to us, so if you’re adding more obligations, then what are benefits that we’re getting in return?” DeSantis also reiterated in the episode that he does not believe the US should... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3235610/ron-desantis-says-ukraine-joining-nato-isnt-best-interest-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3235610/ron-desantis-says-ukraine-joining-nato-isnt-best-interest-us?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Sep 2023 23:33:19 +0000 US President Joe Biden got a look Saturday from the sky at Hurricane Idalia’s impact across a swathe of Florida before setting out on a walking tour of a city recovering from the storm. Notably absent from his schedule was any time with Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican president candidate who suggested a meeting could hinder disaster response efforts. “Our teams worked collectively to find this area. This was a mutually agreed upon area because of the limited impact,” Deanne Criswell, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3233230/joe-biden-visits-florida-hurricane-idalias-wake-ron-desantis-wont-meet-him?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3233230/joe-biden-visits-florida-hurricane-idalias-wake-ron-desantis-wont-meet-him?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Sep 2023 20:06:32 +0000 Republican US presidential candidate Ron DeSantis replaced his campaign manager on Tuesday as the Florida governor tries to reboot his flagging bid to overtake front-runner Donald Trump in the race for his party’s 2024 nomination. Generra Peck, a long-time DeSantis aide who had served as campaign chief since the governor launched his candidacy in May, will be replaced by James Uthmeier, another close adviser, said Andrew Romeo, the campaign’s communications director. The campaign had already... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3230439/ron-desantis-replaces-campaign-manager-2024-us-presidential-bid-flounders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3230439/ron-desantis-replaces-campaign-manager-2024-us-presidential-bid-flounders?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Aug 2023 17:06:57 +0000 Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis took an aggressive swipe at China, railed against what he described as corporate bailouts, and said he would rein in the Federal Reserve in an economic policy speech on Monday. The speech contained relatively few new concrete policy proposals, but underlined how far the Republican Party has shifted dramatically in recent years in adopting an increasingly anti-corporate stance. “We will usher in a new era of growth, prosperity and civic pride,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3229547/ron-desantis-lashes-out-china-and-corporate-power-campaign-speech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3229547/ron-desantis-lashes-out-china-and-corporate-power-campaign-speech?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Jul 2023 18:06:45 +0000 Republican US presidential contender Ron DeSantis is cutting far more campaign staff than previously thought as he works to reset his stumbling campaign amid unexpected financial trouble. DeSantis, long considered former president Donald Trump’s chief rival in the Republican 2024 primary contest, has cut a third of his campaign staff – or 38 people, according to campaign aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal campaign strategy. The dramatic staffing cuts include the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3228923/ron-desantis-cuts-third-presidential-campaign-staff-he-seeks-urgent-reset?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3228923/ron-desantis-cuts-third-presidential-campaign-staff-he-seeks-urgent-reset?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Jul 2023 22:06:02 +0000 Republican US presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Sunday he would take steps to revoke China’s permanent normal trade relations status if he won the 2024 White House race. “I favour doing that. I think we probably need Congress but I would take executive action as appropriate to be able to move us in that direction,” DeSantis said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday. The US Senate voted in 2000 to grant that status to China as it prepared to join the World Trade... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3227095/us-presidential-hopeful-ron-desantis-supports-revoking-chinas-trade-status?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3227095/us-presidential-hopeful-ron-desantis-supports-revoking-chinas-trade-status?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Jul 2023 16:45:20 +0000 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Saturday condemned Walt Disney World and the US Justice Department – not his chief Republican rival, Donald Trump – as he courted Nevada Republicans deep in the heart of Trump country. The US “is off the rails,” the Republican governor said. “Insanity is reigning supreme.” Speaking to Nevada Republicans for the first time as a presidential candidate, DeSantis made no direct mention of the federal indictment of Trump, who is facing dozens of felony counts for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3224474/ron-desantis-quiet-trump-indictment-he-faces-conservatives-trump-country?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3224474/ron-desantis-quiet-trump-indictment-he-faces-conservatives-trump-country?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jun 2023 23:25:03 +0000 Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida escalated his feud with California Governor Gavin Newsom, daring the West Coast Democrat to “stop pussyfooting around” and launch a primary challenge against US President Joe Biden. DeSantis, who announced his presidential campaign late last month, took on Newsom during a news conference in Florida in which he was asked about Newsom’s recent comments to Fox News agreeing to a hypothetical debate with DeSantis hosted by Sean Hannity. “He’s got huge... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3224298/desantis-dares-newsom-take-biden-2024?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3224298/desantis-dares-newsom-take-biden-2024?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jun 2023 05:53:41 +0000 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ channelled former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill at an Iowa campaign event over the weekend, invoking Churchill’s famous World War II speech to tout his own position on “woke” ideology. DeSantis said in his speech on Saturday: “I recognise that the woke mind virus represents a war on the truth, so we will wage a war on the woke. We will fight the woke in education, we will fight the woke in the corporations, we will fight the woke in the halls of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3223018/us-ron-desantis-uses-words-similar-churchills-iconic-1940-speech-wage-war-woke?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3223018/us-ron-desantis-uses-words-similar-churchills-iconic-1940-speech-wage-war-woke?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jun 2023 11:49:34 +0000 Former US president Donald Trump kept up a steady drumbeat of criticism of his chief rival Ron DeSantis on Thursday, jumping immediately on remarks by the Florida governor on the campaign trail to try to highlight his own strength as the leading Republican presidential candidate. Trump, appearing in Iowa as DeSantis campaigned in New Hampshire, made a point of telling about 200 members of a conservative club gathered at a Des Moines-area restaurant that they could ask him questions – an offer... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3222666/donald-trump-and-ron-desantis-trade-jabs-duelling-appearances-2024-campaign-trail?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3222666/donald-trump-and-ron-desantis-trade-jabs-duelling-appearances-2024-campaign-trail?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jun 2023 22:09:35 +0000 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stepped up his attacks on Republican rival Donald Trump on Tuesday as he kicked off his first campaign swing as a presidential candidate in Iowa. While DeSantis rarely alluded to the former president during remarks at an evening rally, he showed less restraint afterward when taking questions from the media. DeSantis bashed Trump on issues such as immigration, Covid policy and federal spending, suggesting that he had drifted away from conservative principles as... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3222382/ron-desantis-bashes-donald-trump-2024-campaign-swing-begins-iowa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3222382/ron-desantis-bashes-donald-trump-2024-campaign-swing-begins-iowa?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 May 2023 03:04:19 +0000 Americans are getting to know Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as he mounts a bid for the White House. Now, they’ll have to figure out how to pronounce his last name. He has gone back and forth between Dee-Santis and Deh-Santis over the years. In his presidential campaign launch ad on Wednesday night, he introduced himself as Dee-Santis, but in a follow-up video just a little later he went by the other one. The DeSantis campaign did not immediately respond to an inquiry on Thursday into the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3221868/it-dee-santis-or-deh-santis-running-us-president-even-ron-desantis-and-his-wife-cant-agree?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3221868/it-dee-santis-or-deh-santis-running-us-president-even-ron-desantis-and-his-wife-cant-agree?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 May 2023 20:29:01 +0000 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis formally declared his candidacy for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination on Wednesday evening over Twitter, pledging to “lead our great American comeback”. Announcing his decision during a scheduled conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk – which failed to start several times due to technical difficulties – the Republican governor has set the stage for a battle with former US president Donald Trump, the party’s leading candidate for the White House,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3221740/florida-governor-ron-desantis-announces-bid-us-presidency-twitter-discussion-elon-musk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3221740/florida-governor-ron-desantis-announces-bid-us-presidency-twitter-discussion-elon-musk?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 May 2023 00:06:23 +0000 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose scorched-earth battles over pandemic lockdowns and divisive cultural issues have endeared him to conservatives, will announce on Wednesday he is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, placing him on a collision course with former US president Donald Trump. DeSantis will make the announcement on Twitter during a discussion with Twitter CEO Elon Musk, DeSantis’ political team confirmed. At the same time, he will file a document with the Federal... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3221599/ron-desantis-enter-2024-white-house-race-twitter-event-elon-musk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3221599/ron-desantis-enter-2024-white-house-race-twitter-event-elon-musk?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 May 2023 19:39:47 +0000 Walt Disney Co is scrapping plans to build a nearly US$1 billion corporate campus in central Florida that would have housed 2,000 employees, according to an email to employees on Thursday, against the backdrop of its ongoing legal battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Disney parks chief Josh D’Amaro said “changing business conditions” prompted Disney to reconsider its 2021 plan to relocate employees, including its Imagineers who design theme park rides, to a new campus in Lake Nona. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3221067/disney-cancels-plans-move-2000-jobs-florida-amid-clash-ron-desantis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3221067/disney-cancels-plans-move-2000-jobs-florida-amid-clash-ron-desantis?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 May 2023 18:54:01 +0000 Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis will officially enter the 2024 US presidential race next week, according to two sources familiar with the decision, immediately becoming Donald Trump’s biggest rival for the Republican nomination and shaking up a contest that largely has been one-sided. DeSantis will likely file paperwork declaring his candidacy on May 25 to coincide with a donor meeting in Miami, with a more formal launch the week of May 29, according to a source. The invitation for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3220956/florida-governor-ron-desantis-enter-us-presidential-race-next-week?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3220956/florida-governor-ron-desantis-enter-us-presidential-race-next-week?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 May 2023 03:36:36 +0000 Florida governor and presumptive US presidential candidate Ron DeSantis on Monday signed legislation that would ban the use of TikTok and other Chinese apps on school and government servers and limit land purchases by citizens from China, the latest moves by state authorities aimed at countering perceived threats from Beijing. The three China-related bills that DeSantis signed, passed with bipartisan support by the Republican-controlled legislature, also include one that prohibits universities... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3219861/floridas-ron-desantis-signs-bills-limiting-chinese-land-ownership-tiktok-schools?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3219861/floridas-ron-desantis-signs-bills-limiting-chinese-land-ownership-tiktok-schools?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 May 2023 21:59:56 +0000 He’s up. He’s down. He’s getting in. Maybe he won’t. He’s a saviour. He’s an authoritarian. Everyone, it seems, has a visceral, unnuanced view of Ron DeSantis and his presidential ambitions. After a campaign he’s effectively been running for the last two years, all is lined up for the Florida governor to take the next step, formally moving forward as a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Among the multiple frenzies of speculation about DeSantis is one about timing. When... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3219763/sun-setting-ron-desantis-he-officially-enters-2024-race-or-it-about-rise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3219763/sun-setting-ron-desantis-he-officially-enters-2024-race-or-it-about-rise?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 May 2023 07:02:19 +0000 Former US president Donald Trump has opened up a 36 per cent lead on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a new 2024 Republican presidential poll, even as he fends off growing legal problems. The survey puts Trump’s support at 58 per cent of Republican voters compared to just 22 per cent for DeSantis, who has faded badly in recent months. Republican voters are rallying behind Trump as he battles a historic indictment tied to hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels and a civil rape trial... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3219218/donald-trump-opens-36-cent-lead-over-ron-desantis-new-2024-republican-poll?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3219218/donald-trump-opens-36-cent-lead-over-ron-desantis-new-2024-republican-poll?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 May 2023 05:03:51 +0000 Disney on Wednesday sued Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, alleging his administration’s takeover of its theme park district is part of “a targeted campaign of government retaliation” for its opposition to a law barring discussion of homosexuality in schools. The move is the latest salvo in an increasingly bitter fight between the entertainment giant and DeSantis, a Republican presidential hopeful for 2024 who has denounced Disney as a “woke” corporation – a call aimed at pleasing his right-wing... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3218498/disney-sues-floridas-ron-desantis-over-theme-park-takeover?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3218498/disney-sues-floridas-ron-desantis-over-theme-park-takeover?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Apr 2023 17:55:27 +0000 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis praised Japan’s push to bolster its defences as he kicked off an international tour in Tokyo on Monday before a possible presidential run. The Republican is widely expected to seek the presidential nomination next year, and his trip to Japan, South Korea, Israel and Britain is seen as a bid to burnish his diplomatic and security credentials. “We very much applaud your efforts to bolster your defences,” DeSantis told Prime Minister Fumio Kishida before talks,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3218101/us-presidential-hopeful-ron-desantis-says-strong-japan-good-america-tokyo-trip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3218101/us-presidential-hopeful-ron-desantis-says-strong-japan-good-america-tokyo-trip?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Apr 2023 04:31:08 +0000 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to meet Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis when the expected 2024 presidential candidate visits Israel this week, Netanyahu said on CBS News’ Face the Nation on Sunday. DeSantis is also travelling to Japan, South Korea and Britain. The visit to Israel coincides with protests over Netanyahu’s plans to tighten controls on the country’s Supreme Court. Netanyahu, asked by CBS whether he would meet DeSantis, replied: “Of course, I’ll meet with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3218078/florida-governor-ron-desantis-plans-meet-israeli-pm-benjamin-netanyahu-during-israel-trip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3218078/florida-governor-ron-desantis-plans-meet-israeli-pm-benjamin-netanyahu-during-israel-trip?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Apr 2023 17:28:37 +0000 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has walked back his characterisation of Russia’s war in Ukraine as a “territorial dispute”, following criticism from a number of fellow Republicans who expressed concern about the potential 2024 presidential candidate’s dismissive description of the conflict. In an interview with Piers Morgan on Fox Nation, DeSantis said his earlier comments referenced ongoing fighting in the eastern Donbas region, as well as Russia’s 2014 seizure of Crimea. Ukraine’s borders are... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3214674/ron-desantis-walks-back-territorial-dispute-remark-russia-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3214674/ron-desantis-walks-back-territorial-dispute-remark-russia-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Mar 2023 04:03:04 +0000 While in office, US secretary of state Madeleine Albright referred to America as an “indispensable nation”, a statement that is still true. Last century, America ensured that Adolf Hitler’s totalitarian barbarism did not turn Europe into a dark place. This century, the United States – and Nato – has been the last line of defence against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s imperialist fantasies, and the primary reason a sovereign Ukraine still exists. US President Joe Biden has enforced his red... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3214199/what-if-america-under-trump-or-desantis-turns-its-back-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3214199/what-if-america-under-trump-or-desantis-turns-its-back-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Mar 2023 19:30:13 +0000 The 2024 Republican presidential race could become a contest between isolationists and foreign policy hawks after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sent his strongest signal yet he does not believe support for Ukraine is in the US national interest, analysts, strategists and campaign aides said. The war in Ukraine provides a new battleground for declared and as yet undeclared Republican 2024 hopefuls that could shape how the party engages with the world for years to come, those people said. On the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3213568/ron-desantis-ukraine-war-stance-sharpens-divide-between-us-isolationists-and-hawks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3213568/ron-desantis-ukraine-war-stance-sharpens-divide-between-us-isolationists-and-hawks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Mar 2023 05:19:30 +0000 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis positioned himself Tuesday as the leading Republican alternative to Donald Trump by launching a legislative state session that offers red meat to the party base. A darling of the populist right, the 44-year-old DeSantis – who has not yet entered the 2024 presidential race – has devoted much of his time as governor to bashing Democrats for liberalism and “wokeness”. His “State of the State” address kicked off a session aiming to expand gun rights, curb diversity... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3212757/ron-desantis-courts-americas-right-wing-he-weighs-2024-white-house-bid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3212757/ron-desantis-courts-americas-right-wing-he-weighs-2024-white-house-bid?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Mar 2023 03:55:45 +0000 Citadel’s billionaire founder, Ken Griffin, called Donald Trump a “three-time loser” and said he hoped the former president would “see the writing on the wall” and not run for the White House again, making way for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. “I’d like to think that the Republican Party is ready to move on from somebody who has been for this party a three-time loser,” Griffin said, citing Trump’s 2020 defeat, the loss of Georgia Senate seats in 2021 and this year’s midterms. DeSantis, who... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199721/billionaire-ken-griffin-tells-donald-trump-drop-white-house-bid-and-make-way-ron-desantis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199721/billionaire-ken-griffin-tells-donald-trump-drop-white-house-bid-and-make-way-ron-desantis?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Nov 2022 12:30:16 +0000 The powerful media empire of conservative billionaire Rupert Murdoch appeared to turn its back on Donald Trump, labelling the former US president a “loser” who shows “increasingly poor judgment” after the midterm elections. Just days before he is expected to announce his 2024 White House candidacy, the Wall Street Journal, the flagship of Murdoch’s News Corp, declared in an editorial that “Trump Is the Republican Party’s Biggest Loser”, pointing to the party’s disappointing performance in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199221/powerful-murdoch-media-dumps-loser-donald-trump-ron-desantis-shines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199221/powerful-murdoch-media-dumps-loser-donald-trump-ron-desantis-shines?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Nov 2022 03:51:12 +0000 Ron DeSantis won a second term as Florida governor, a victory that could bolster a potential challenge of former president Donald Trump for a White House run in 2024. The Republican governor beat Democratic challenger Charlie Crist by a tally of 59 per cent to 40 per cent in the third most populous state in the US, according to Associated Press. DeSantis, 44, hasn’t said he plans to run in 2024 and squarely avoided questions about the presidential race during his debate with Crist. Still, he has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199003/ron-desantis-re-election-florida-puts-2024-and-donald-trump-sight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199003/ron-desantis-re-election-florida-puts-2024-and-donald-trump-sight?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Nov 2022 08:29:40 +0000 Former Trump adviser Roger Stone told Florida Governor Ron DeSantis that it would be treacherous for him to run against Trump in 2024. Stone posted his cautionary message to DeSantis on Telegram on Wednesday, calling the governor “Ron DeSanctimonius”. “If Governor Ron DeSantis challenges @realDonaldTrump who has made it clear that he will be a candidate in 2024 it would be the most stunning act of ingratitude and treachery in the history of American politics,” Stone wrote. He also parroted the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3197547/roger-stone-warns-ron-desantis-it-would-be-treachery-run-against-donald-trump-2024?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3197547/roger-stone-warns-ron-desantis-it-would-be-treachery-run-against-donald-trump-2024?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Oct 2022 04:22:42 +0000 US President Joe Biden flew over the devastation left by Hurricane Ian in Florida on a politically charged trip on Wednesday that marked a truce with bitter Republican critic and potential 2024 opponent, Governor Ron DeSantis. The Democrat, accompanied by first lady Jill Biden, boarded a helicopter at Fort Myers for an aerial inspection of the havoc wreaked in one of the worst storms ever to hit the country. “Everything – this historic and titanic, unimaginable storm ripped it to pieces,” Biden... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3194972/joe-biden-visits-hurricane-hit-florida-marking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3194972/joe-biden-visits-hurricane-hit-florida-marking?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Oct 2022 21:47:46 +0000