At a “Politics and Eggs” event hosted by the New England Council at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shared his perspective on key political issues such as Israel, Ukraine, the opioid crisis, the economy, and more.

As a former lieutenant in the Navy, DeSantis said that the conflict between Israel and Hamas brings back memories of terrorism he witnessed during his service in Iraq. “I don’t think I ever saw or heard or read a report of anything approaching the level of barbarism that we saw over the weekend… it really reached a new level of depths of depravity,” he said. 

DeSantis said he is a “big supporter of Israel” and believes they have the right to defend themselves. Regarding U.S. involvement in the conflict, he doesn’t think they will need much military support, but rather moral clarity.

His approach to Israel is two-pronged. First, eradicate Hamas infrastructure to end the organization. Second, he would take back the $6 million given to Iran and tighten up oil sanctions. 

Additionally, DeSantis has activated emergency personnel to bring Florida residents trapped in Israel home. “I think every American should be able to get out of a war zone with the help of the US government, and if they’re not going to do it, then the state of Florida will step up and answer the call.”

Meanwhile, the conflict in Ukraine remains and American support is still a divisive issue. “I think what a lot of the Republicans are saying is that we need a clear strategy before we’re going to deploy any additional resources, and I think that that’s a totally reasonable request,” he explained. If elected president, DeSantis said that he would put pressure on Russia through energy and other economic means.

Erik Bishop ’24, 2nd Vice Chair of the College Republicans, believes that DeSantis’ strong foreign policies prioritize American interests while supporting allies abroad. “The Republican Party is the party of peace through strength, and while we need to reform the way that we spend our money, we do need to stand by our allies, since they represent us abroad in the long run,” he said.

Focusing on the homefront, DeSantis’ first goal as president would be to finish the southern border wall and go after cartels to stop the flow of fentanyl. 

“We’re going to treat the Mexican drug cartels like foreign terrorist organizations. They are invading this country, they are killing these people and we’re going to use lethal force to put them in their place,” he said.

When asked about whether the 2020 election was stolen, DeSantis focused his answer on the history of stolen election claims. “I’m not going to sit here and say that Trump is unique in this. Hillary I think to this day says the election was stolen from her,” he said. 

His answer did not fully satisfy students from both sides of the political aisle.

“His response to the question on whether the 2020 election was stolen did not inspire much confidence in me. His answer, the same as anyone else running for president, should have been that 2020 was not stolen. Instead, he wavered and gave what I considered an extremely anti-democratic response,” said Kellan Barbee ’26, President of the Saint Anselm College Democrats.

“While I was disappointed that he could not just acknowledge that Biden beat Trump, he has at least implied that this is the case. I also agree with Desantis that we should go forward with laws that make it easier to vote but harder to cheat,” Bishop said.

DeSantis took questions from a packed crowd of students and voters from various backgrounds and age demographics. 

“From a College Dems perspective, Gov. DeSantis’ choice to focus on his controversial social policies, namely his appalling immigration and unconscionable education policies, rather than his economic policy– especially while speaking to primarily business leaders– was a peculiar and risky choice,” said Barbee.

Devon Johnson ’27 asked DeSantis about his message to young voters who are disenchanted with the state of American politics. 

He replied that inflation, housing prices, and student loans are the kinds of economic pressures that kill the American dream for young people. 

DeSantis believes that taxpayers should not pay student loans. “I don’t think it’s fair that a truck driver should have to pay for somebody who’s got $100,000 in debt with a degree in zombie studies,” he said.

Rather, he argues that higher education institutions should be involved. “Have the loans be backed by the universities so there’s going to be an incentive to make sure they’re putting you through a program where you’re going to be able to be gainfully employed,” he said.

“As a politically engaged college student and voter, his speech was rather lethargic at times. He also did not have a strong presence on the stage. This isn’t a problem unique to him, but I have noticed that Gov. DeSantis and most other candidates (in both parties) do not tailor their speech to younger audiences,” said Barbee.

Aside from the candidate himself, the biggest ticket at the event was the creme-brulee, a special treat that was more welcome than scrambled eggs on a Friday afternoon.

DeSantis reminisced on his time as a college student in New England while attending Yale University and Harvard Law School. A long-time baseball player since his youth, DeSantis was proud to share that he was in New England when the Boston Red Sox won the World Series in 2004. 

As the presidential campaign season ramps up, he hopes that his children will see snow for the first time. The real question is, will they see it in New Hampshire or Iowa?