Gov. Ron DeSantis boasts that under his leadership Florida took on the ‘biomedical security state’ during the Covid-19 pandemic in a new memoir. 

The governor dives straight into a defense of his coronavirus policies in the introduction after former President Trump used his first line of offense to try to brand DeSantis as ‘shutdown Ron.’ 

‘Power-hungry elites tried to use the coronavirus to impose an oppressive biomedical security state on America, but Florida stood as an impenetrable roadblock to such designs,’ DeSantis writes in an excerpt obtained by DailyMail.com.

‘The Courage to Be Free,’ out Tuesday, frames Florida as the last bastion against globalist elites who have penetrated media, education, politics and the corporate world. 

Gov. Ron DeSantis boasts Florida under his leadership took on the ‘biomedical security state’ during the Covid-19 pandemic in a new memoir

The book, believed to be a precursor to DeSantis' bid for the presidency, is out Tuesday

The book, believed to be a precursor to DeSantis’ bid for the presidency, is out Tuesday 

DeSantis writes that he recognized the ‘brazen partisanship’ and ‘intellectual bankruptcy’ of public health officials like Dr. Anthony Fauci and encouraged readers never to ‘trust the experts.’ 

‘The performance of these so-called experts—they were wrong on the need for lockdowns, the efficacy of cloth masks, school closures, the existence of natural immunity, and the accuracy of epidemiological “models”—was so dreadful that no sane person should ever “trust the experts” ever again.’

The governor references a 1961 address where President Dwight Eisenhower warned that public policy should not be ‘taken captive’ by the ‘scientific-technological elite:’ ‘A government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity,’ Eisenhower warned at the time. 

DeSantis alludes to the machinations of D.C. politics as well. ‘The elites do not rely on winning elections to amass enough political power to implement desired policies; they rely on a vast administrative state whereby they can implement their preferred policies regardless of the outcome of elections.’

‘Believing that society is best governed by “experts” working in unaccountable government agencies, they advance major changes to American society, in matters ranging from energy to education, through bureaucratic fiat, not popular consent.’

The governor also takes aim at private industry, a new battlefront for conservatism that long championed the free market above all.

‘Wall Street banks can deny financial services to industries that clash with the vision of the anointed, such as manufacturers of firearms or contractors that provide services for immigration enforcement,’ DeSantis wrote. ‘This collusion represents a way for the ruling class to achieve through the economy what it could never achieve through the ballot box.’

He touts Florida’s moves to prohibit ESG investing in state and local pensions and take on Big Tech and the media. 

DeSantis and his team have been trading barbs with reporters over his decision to ban critical race theory and queer theory in AP African American studies in recent weeks. The College Board, in turn, stripped the course of many of the topics that had drawn the ire of DeSantis and conservatives, including purging from the reading list many Black writers focused on critical race theory, the queer experience and Black feminism.

The book is fraught with populist undertones including a section decrying the ‘elites’ for getting the U.S. involved in ‘military adventurism without clear objectives’ and ‘social engineering regarding home ownership that set the foundation for a major financial crisis and the taxpayer-funded bailout of Wall Street banks.’

Trump endorsed DeSantis' first race for governor in 2018, but the relationship between the pair has since soured

Trump endorsed DeSantis’ first race for governor in 2018, but the relationship between the pair has since soured  

DeSantis won the governor's race only narrowly in 2018 after an endorsement from Trump. In 2022 he sailed to re-election by nearly 20 points

DeSantis won the governor’s race only narrowly in 2018 after an endorsement from Trump. In 2022 he sailed to re-election by nearly 20 points

DeSantis won the gubernatorial race only narrowly in 2018 after an endorsement from Trump. In 2022 he sailed to re-election by nearly 20 points.  

The Florida governor has been increasing his national profile ahead of the book’s launch, appearing at law enforcement events in Philadelphia, New York City and Chicago last week. 

Sources close to DeSantis have said the governor would not launch a presidential campaign before the state legislature wraps in May. 

Over the weekend, a cadre of wealthy donors gathered in Palm Beach, Fla., at a fundraising event for the 44-year-old Florida governor. The three-day retreat was billed as a celebration of ‘Florida’s blueprint’ and included a number of longtime Trump allies and donors.  

A new WPA-Intelligence poll of 1,000 Republicans pegs DeSantis as the favorite at 40 percent and Trump at 31 percent in a nine-way race of nine candidates and potential candidates. 

So far, Trump and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley would be DeSantis’ only name-brand competition in the race. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and former Vice President Mike Pence have traveled to the first GOP caucus state Iowa over the past two weeks, signaling they are also considering a run.