Ron DeSantis as American president is exciting for some, but frightening for others
Breakfast in a Floridian diner is never for the faint-hearted.
There’s the biscuits and gravy, the grits, the oversized breakfast tacos, the waffles, the pancakes, the corned beef hash and, of course, the all-American drip coffee.
If you survive all that, and if you nudge the locals a little, then the passionate yet divisive politics of this state and this nation all comes tumbling out.
The moment I mention Ron DeSantis, the cards are on the table.
“I love him… I think he’s doing the things that most of us would like him to do,” Patricia Barra says.
“He’s just kept Florida very productive; open through COVID. I think he wants to make America the way we were used to having it.”
Patricia Barra says she “loves” Ron DeSantis
Her husband, Gerald, finishes her thought: “Californians moving to Florida, Massachusettsans moving to Florida, New Jerseyans moving to Florida, New Yorkers moving to Florida. Must be something!”
But, a table away: “He’s bigoted, a white supremacist, a Trump wannabe…” Robin Mix says.
They say the Starlite Diner is a Daytona Beach landmark, an unofficial community meeting place for the locals. Where better, then, to find out more about Florida’s governor?
This is where the political career began for the man who wants to be president.
There were differing opinions over Ron DeSantis at Starlite Diner
Robin Mix calls the Florida governor a “bigoted white supremacist”
Daytona Beach is in his old district back when he was a congressman, way before he made waves nationwide.
I’ve come to find out what the allure is and whether that landslide vote for governor last year really could propel him all the way to the White House.
‘Make America Florida’ is his line. It’s a neat play on the tagline of his fan-turned-foe, Donald ‘Make America Great Again’ Trump.
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Trump is the clear favourite to clinch the Republican Party nominee for president. But DeSantis is behind him and hopes to close, fast.
He is Trumpian without the chaos. Maybe he can deliver on policy where Trump didn’t manage to? That’s exciting for some; frightening for others, and it turns out they’re all represented in the Starlite Diner this morning.
The vibe from his fans reflects a view that America has lost its way and needs to return to traditional values – conservative ones.
‘He would make a wonderful vice president’
“I like that idea…” another diner says when I put the Make America Florida tag to her.
“I think he would make a wonderful vice-president under President Trump…” another says.
It reflects what some see as the dream conservative ticket, however improbable it may be given the pair’s current animosity.
If there is one theme which gets to the heart of what Ron DeSantis is all about, it’s culture wars – his war on woke.
He has recognised that cultural issues – tapping into the idea that values have been eroded – so often resonates more with voters than issues like the economy.
Trump harked back to a time when America was apparently greater. DeSantis has gone further, identifying issues which, for his conservative support base, represent societal erosion – wokery.
Daytona Beach
“We will fight woke in the schools, we’ll fight woke in the corporations. We will never surrender to the woke mob. Florida is where woke goes to die,” he says in varying forms repeatedly.
And yet, even channelling Churchill in Florida, by no means everyone here in the Starlite Diner is buying it.
“You know, his big thing is he wants to get rid of wokeness and I’m happy to be woke myself,” Peter Stephenson says.
“You know, I feel the definition of wokeness is having an acceptance for all types of people.”
His wife, Karen, adds: “And this stuff about all the gays and all that. Just let them live. Let everybody get along.”
Ron DeSantis has never explicitly said anything against the gay community.
Peter Stephenson says he’s “happy to be woke”
DeSantis’s policies represent erosion of minority rights, say critics
But his policies, for his critics at least, represent an erosion of minority rights whether they be gay rights, racial rights or the freedom to be who you want to be.
“He wants to make everything like the 50s television shows where all the people were white, all the people were ‘normal’. Dad goes to work, mum stays at home. We can’t go back to the 50s. But that’s what they want,” Robin Mix says.
His recently published book is called The Courage To Be Free.
Critics say there’s a deep irony that a man who champions freedom has been so busy restricting so many different things.
On abortion he has introduced legislation banning it after six weeks.
On drag shows, laws now make it illegal for children to be present. There are restrictions on gender-neutral toilets. He was elected governor with these policies as promises.
And then there is the so-called book ban. It’s a headline that’s not wholly accurate.
He hasn’t banned books but has taken a hard line on what books are available to school children of different ages. In that sense, some books are banned for some age groups.
“Unfortunately, we’ve seen some books in some of these libraries – you’re talking about kids in middle school – some of the stuff that’s ended up there is incredibly disturbing stuff,” he said recently.
The governor’s grassroots support comes from mothers like Tina Descovich, who founded the group ‘Moms for Liberty’ here in Florida. It now has branches nationwide.
Tina Descovich, founder of Moms for Liberty
She raises a book in her hand as we chat.
“Gender Queer has obscene images throughout. It was found here in a local middle school library that shared middle school in high school and not only was it in the school, it was on display on one of the display cases at the end,” she tells me.
“A lot of school districts around the country have decided that this is appropriate for as young as six grade so 11 and 12-year-olds here in the United States.”
There is no evidence that this book is widely available to that age group across America.
But for Tina, his strong stance represents leadership.
“He takes action. You know, we are tired in our country and in our state of spineless leaders, who change their mind, who flip-flop, who go with the flow. What we saw with Governor DeSantis as he looked at facts, and he made decisions even though they were unpopular.”
‘DeSantis is not for freedom for all people’
Denise Soufrine, a teacher, is considering leaving Florida due to Mr DeSantis’ governorship
Down the coast in one of Florida’s few remaining Democratic counties, I met Denise Soufrine, a teacher who is considering leaving Florida.
“He touts that we’re the Free State of Florida, and I don’t understand how he could possibly say that when you are restricting the rights,” she says.
“The Moms for Liberty will say ‘we’re protecting children’. Well, what about all the other parents that want their children to be exposed to ideas of all sorts so their children can grow?
“I don’t really think that’s what this country wants. I don’t think so.
“That’s not what this country was founded on. And this governor is not for freedom for all people. He’s only for freedom for certain people.
“Years ago, there were hardly any books in libraries that showed black characters, African American characters, Hispanic characters.
“So as a librarian, as a teacher, I’m someone that wants to make sure that everyone in the class feels comfortable and knows that they’re accepted.”
She adds: “There’s no kindness in any of the bills that he is promoting at all.”
The suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington DC is facing a first-degree murder charge.
It follows the death of one of the soldiers, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom.
The other soldier, Andrew Wolfe, 24, was taken to hospital in critical condition after the incident on Wednesday afternoon. On Friday, West Virginia’s governor said Wolfe remained in a “very critical condition”.
Andrew Wolfe and Sarah Beckstrom. Pic: Reuters
US attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office said the suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, now faces charges including one count of first-degree murder, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.
Pirro said there are “many charges to come” beyond the upgraded murder charge and that Lakanwal had driven across the country to launch an “ambush-style” attack with a revolver.
She said her heart went out to the family of Beckstrom, who volunteered to serve and “ended up being shot ambush-style on the cold streets of Washington DC by an individual who will now be charged with murder in the first degree”.
President Donald Trump called Beckstrom, part of the West Virginia guard, a “highly respected” and “magnificent person”.
Investigators are continuing to execute warrants in the state of Washington, where the suspect lived, and other parts of the country, Pirro said.
However, she declined to discuss the suspect’s motive, saying officials have been working around the clock on that question.
Officials said Lakanwal entered the US in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration programme that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the US’s chaotic withdrawal from the country.
People who knew him say he served in a CIA-backed Afghan Army unit before immigrating to the US.
Kristina Widman, who claims to be Lakanwal’s former landlord, said he had been living in Bellingham, close to Seattle, with his wife and five children.
The #AfghanEvac charity said Lakanwal applied for asylum during the Biden administration, but his asylum was approved under the Trump administration.
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Trump has called for every Afghan national who entered the US under Biden to be investigated following the shooting of two National Guard troops.
Read more:
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On Wednesday night, Trump called for the reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees who had entered under the Biden administration.
The director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said in a statement that the agency would take additional steps to screen people from 19 “high-risk” countries “to the maximum degree possible”.
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The President has since said he wants to “permanently pause migration” from poorer nations and is promising to seek to expel millions of immigrants from the US by revoking their legal status.
Organisations that work with refugees are worried that those who fled dangerous situations to start again in America will face a backlash after the shooting.
The US will review green cards issued to the citizens of 19 countries after two members of the National Guard were shot by a suspected Afghan gunman in Washington DC.
Immigration from Afghanistan has also been suspended indefinitely, the White House said, following the double shooting on Wednesday.
Joseph Edlow, director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), revealed the order from President Trump.
He wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “At the direction of @POTUS, I have directed a full scale, rigorous re-examination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”
Asked which countries would be affected, USCIS pointed to a presidential proclamation from June listing 19 countries.
The proclamation sought to “fully restrict” arrivals from Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
It also “partially” restricted arrivals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
Pic: Reuters
Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, has been named as the suspected gunman in this week’s shooting and has been detained.
He worked as part of a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan, and reportedly came to the States under a programme meant to help Afghans who’d risked their lives assisting US troops in Afghanistan.
He’s thought to have driven thousands of miles to the capital from his home in Washington state, where he lives with his wife and five children.
Attorney general Pam Bondi called him “a lone gunman” who “opened fire without provocation, ambush style”.
Gunfire in Washington DC sees two National Guard members shot
President Trump described him as a “savage monster”.
He was granted asylum in April this year, according to NBC News.
One of his victims, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, died of her wounds, while the other, Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in a critical condition.
The two National Guard members who were shot in Washington D.C. as 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe. Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
Lakanwal reportedly came to the US under Operation Allies Welcome, a programme enacted by former President Joe Biden after he pulled American forces out of Afghanistan in 2021.
Edlow explictly targeted the previous president as he announced the new green card regime.
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He wrote on X: “The protection of this country and of the American people remains paramount, and the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies.”
Speaking after the attack, President Trump was even more caustic.
He said: “The suspect in custody is a foreigner, who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on Earth.
“He was flown in by the Biden administration in September 2021 on those infamous flights that everybody was talking about.
“His status was extended under legislation signed by President Biden – a disastrous president, the worst in the history of our country.”
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He continued: “This attack underscores the greatest national security threat facing our nation.
“The last administration let in 20 million unknown and unvetted foreigners from all over the world, from places that you don’t even want to know about.
“No country can tolerate such a risk to our very survival.”
One of the National Guard members shot in Washington DC on Wednesday has died from her injuries, Donald Trump has said.
The president said 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom had “just passed away” and called her a “highly respected” and “magnificent person”.
The other person who was shot, Andrew Wolfe, 24, is in a critical condition. The pair were ambushed while patrolling near the White House.
Ms Beckstrom’s father had earlier told The New York Times she was unlikely to survive and he was “holding her hand”.
Sarah Beckstrom. Pic: Reuters
The suspected gunman, Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, is in a serious condition, Mr Trump told reporters.
He drove thousands of miles from his home in Washington state to carry out the attack with a powerful Magnum revolver, according to US attorney Jeanine Pirro.
Lakanwal is said to have worked in a CIA-backed Afghan army unit before coming to the US in 2021 under a resettlement programme designed to protect people from Taliban reprisals.
His asylum application was passed this year.
Investigators are treating it as terrorism and searched multiple properties on Thursday, including one linked to Lankanwal in Washington state, where the FBI seized electronic devices and interviewed relatives.
Lakanwal has a wife and five children family, but Washington DC police said he appeared to have acted alone.
Ms Beckstrom, part of the West Virginia National Guard, had been deployed as part of the president’s plan to clamp down on what he says are high levels of crime and illegal immigration in some US cities.
Mr Trump ordered 500 extra troops into the capital after the shooting, joining about 2,200 already there.
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