(NewsNation) — On Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was sworn in for a second term in front of the Florida capitol.
To a crowd of supporters, DeSantis bosted wins on what he described as a “bold agenda.”
“We said we would ensure that Florida tax was lightly regulated and spent conservatively, and we delivered; We promised we would enact big education reforms and we delivered,” DeSantis said.
The Republican governor also highlighted national topics, like immigration and inflation, by calling out the so-called woke ideology — a message reminiscent of the “woke mob” speech he gave back on his campaign trail in November.
“The federal government has gone on an inflationary spending binge that has left our nation weaker and our citizens poorer,” the 44-year-old governor said in his speech Tuesday in Tallahassee.
Absent from DeSantis’ speech was any mention of 2024, despite being seen as the top challenger against former President Donald Trump in a race for the White House.
“I thought what was really notable was the tone,” Max Greenwood, a campaign reporter for The Hill, said on NewsNation’s “Rush Hour” Tuesday.
“It wasn’t some announcement; it wasn’t any indication whether he would serve out the next four years of the governor’s mansion; it was who are you addressing? And it’s hard to look at that speech today and say you were only addressing Floridians,” Max said.
DeSantis has had success in making Florida even more conservative. To win his re-election in November, he flipped traditionally Democratic Miami-Dade County.
A survey of voters in Georgia last month even found DeSantis with a four-point lead over President Joe Biden in a hypothetical 2024 match-up.
But DeSaantis being a rising star in the GOP has also made him the target of former President Donald Trump, who endorsed DeSantis on his first run for Governor.
The former president was asked about his attacks on the Florida governor in an exclusive NewsNation interview in November.
“I got him the nomination. I thought that he could have been more gracious, but that’s up to him,” former President Trump said.
DeSantis has so far dismissed any comments by the former president as “noise.” DeSantis also did not talk about or mention Trump in his speech on Tuesday.
Campaign insiders have told NewsNation it’ll be summer or fall before anyone will hear anything about whether DeSantis will run for the White House or not.
