Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida introduced his presidential bid on Wednesday night time in a livestream on Twitter that was delayed by technical difficulties and peppered with sometimes deceptive claims.
Right here’s a truth examine of a few of his claims.
What WAS Mentioned
“Biden’s additionally politicized the army and prompted recruiting to plummet.”
This lacks proof. Navy leaders have lately warned that a number of branches of the armed forces are struggling to fulfill recruiting targets, however the causes they’ve cited have little to do with President Biden. Specifically, many youthful Individuals merely fail to qualify.
A 2020 Pentagon study discovered that simply 23 p.c of 17- to 24-year-olds can meet service requirements, with many failing the army’s entrance exams or health and psychological exams. That price decreased by six proportion factors from the earlier research in 2017.
Military leaders addressed recruiting points in a congressional hearing in April, noting that the problem has been ongoing.
“The troublesome recruiting panorama we face didn’t occur in a 12 months, and it’s going to take us greater than a 12 months to show this round,” stated Christine Wormuth, the secretary of the military.
Ms. Wormuth additionally famous {that a} Pentagon survey of two,400 individuals ages 16 to twenty-eight had requested about obstacles to enlisting. Respondents cited worry of harm and loss of life as the highest concern whereas cultural and political points — “wokeness within the army or the Covid vaccine mandate, for instance — these have been comparatively low on the record of boundaries to service,” she stated.
What WAS Mentioned
“In Florida, our crime price is at a 50-year low. You have a look at the highest 25 cities for crime in America, Florida doesn’t rank amongst the highest 25.”
That is largely true. The state’s crime price did fall to a 50-year low in 2021, however Mr. DeSantis omits a giant caveat: Many regulation enforcement companies within the state switched to a special reporting methodology and the information is provisional and incomplete in lots of circumstances, The Tampa Bay Times reported.
Information from simply 59 p.c of Florida companies protecting 57.5 p.c of the inhabitants was used for the state’s whole combination crime price in 2021. That mirrors a nationwide development: Throughout the nation, nearly 40 percent of law enforcement agencies failed to report 2021 crime information due to the brand new methodology.
No Florida metropolis ranked close to the highest for violent crime price compiled by private companies and news outlets. But it surely’s value noting the Federal Bureau of Investigation and legal justice consultants have additionally lengthy suggested in opposition to evaluating crime charges throughout cities, given the vast variation in inhabitants dimension and demographics.
What WAS Mentioned
“No one in all probability has made Disney extra money than me as a result of they have been open throughout Covid. And so they have been closed in California and that went on for a lot of, many months the place actually, I had all of the theme parks in Florida opened in 2020.”
That is exaggerated. Disney World in Florida closed on March 15, 2020, together with each different Disney theme park worldwide. It reopened in July, after being shut down for 4 months. Disney resorts in Paris, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo additionally reopened in 2020 after being closed for months. Disneyland in California reopened April 30, 2021, after a yearlong shutdown, the longest among the many Disney resorts, as soon as the state allowed theme parks to welcome again guests.
Mr. DeSantis can also be downplaying his personal actions throughout the coronavirus pandemic. He issued an executive order on April 1, 2020, directing all residents in Florida to “restrict their actions and private interactions outdoors of their residence to solely these essential.” Whereas the order didn’t explicitly shut theme parks, it restricted openings to important companies and actions, and prohibited gatherings of greater than 10 individuals. The order expired on Might 1.
What WAS Mentioned
“The entire ebook ban factor is a hoax. There’s not been a single ebook banned within the state of Florida. You possibly can go purchase or use no matter ebook you need.”
That is deceptive. There was no statewide ban of a ebook, however Mr. DeSantis is vastly enjoying down the extent to which particular person faculty districts and libraries in components of the state have eliminated books. The truth is, Florida ranks second, behind Texas, because the state with essentially the most bans at 357, according to PEN America, a nonprofit that helps free expression.
Laws signed by Mr. DeSantis limiting dialogue of sexual orientation, gender id and race has led teachers and administrations to remove books.
Books which have been faraway from cabinets in Florida include a picture book about two male penguins raising a chick, Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” and Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
