DeSantis said the policy of sending people back to their country of origin should be in place at the southern U.S. Border.

“If that was the attitude for our southern border, we’d be much better off because people would know it’s probably not a smart idea to pay some coyote six grand to get me to the border if all that’s gonna be happening is I’m gonna be sent back anyways,” DeSantis said.

One question, many answers

DeSantis brought up Haitian migration as part of his response to a reporter’s question about whether he’d re-suspend Andrew Warren if he’s elected again this year as Hillsborough County state attorney. When DeSantis was running for reelection in 2022, he suspended Warren, alleging he wasn’t fully enforcing all state laws, something Warren denied.

DeSantis didn’t say what he’d do if Warren wins in November, instead offering a proverb. “If ifs and buts were candy and nuts (then) every day would be Christmas,” he said. “I think it’s all gonna work out.”

His answer was just short of eight minutes, in a style similar to that of his nemesis, former President Donald Trump, who is well known for jumping from topic to topic.

DeSantis went through more than a dozen different topics, including property crime and prosecutors, squatters, Florida being “the best state for law and order,” spring break in Miami Beach, defunding the police, Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, protests in favor of Palestinians and Hamas in 2024, and treatment of Jewish students on some college campuses.

Administrators at universities like Columbia and Yale “are weak. They’re scared and they won’t do anything.” On retail theft, DeSantis said: “You should be able to go to the pharmacy and be able to grab deodorant off the shelf without that being behind plexiglass.”

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