DeSantis Laments America’s ‘Decline’

Speaking to conservative state legislators, DeSantis said the policies they favor can help the country move forward

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn’s “Operation Top Nunn: Salute to Our Troops" fundraiser in Ankeny, Iowa, on July 15, 2023. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Speaking to conservative state legislators gathered nationally, Gov. Ron DeSantis decried a nation in “decline” as he welcomed them to “the Free State of Florida” and saluted their efforts to combat that.

“It is Republican-controlled state houses across the country where big wins are being done on behalf of freedom,” Mr. DeSantis told the American Legislators Exchange Council at its 50th annual meeting in Orlando on July 26.