Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has recently completed a four-leg trip to Japan, South Korea, Israel, and the United Kingdom. The trip, which was officially billed as an attempt to build Florida’s economic relationships with each country, has been widely seen as an opportunity for DeSantis to present himself as a statesman on the world stage.[0] While in Israel, DeSantis met with President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, delivering a keynote address in which he underscored the importance of a strong US-Israel alliance and an anti-Iran stance. DeSantis’ trip to Israel was also part of a tour that includes several countries in the region and is seen as an attempt to position himself for a possible presidential candidacy in the future.
DeSantis’ visit to Israel has been controversial, particularly with respect to his policy on Jerusalem.[1] During the speech at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, DeSantis appeared to reject the Biden administration’s tacit opposition to Netanyahu’s judicial reform, which critics believe will erode the country’s most significant check on executive power. “My view is that the United States should be a strong ally to Israel, but we should not butt into their internal affairs,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis’ foreign policy agenda included a strong US-Israel alliance and an anti-Iran stance. He repeatedly cited the shared religious values between Judaism and Christianity as the basis for the alliance between the US and Israel.[1] Despite trailing behind Trump in polls among Republican primary voters, DeSantis has garnered the backing of several establishment Republicans who view him as a more composed alternative to the former president.[0]
DeSantis’ meeting with UK Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch has also attracted attention.[0] DeSantis has backed Badenoch in taking on what he calls “the woke,” referring to the infiltration of woke ideology in schools, bureaucracies, and corporate America. “At the end of the day you cannot have a successful society if it is being operated by woke ideology.[2] It is fundamentally at odds with reality and facts and truths, and ultimately a society needs to be grounded in truth,” DeSantis said.[3]
The UK is one of Florida’s most significant economic partners, with British companies accounting for more than 70,000 jobs in Florida.[4] DeSantis’ speech in Israel also underscored the importance of a strong US-Israel alliance, particularly with respect to maintaining Israel’s qualitative military superiority with systems such as the Iron Dome. “Our alliance with Israel rests on unique cultural and religious affinities,” DeSantis said, putting forward an Israel policy that was in line with that of the former Trump administration.[5]
DeSantis’ visit to Israel and his meeting with President Herzog and Prime Minister Netanyahu come at a time of heightened tension between Israel and the US, as well as amid a rise in antisemitism within his home state.[6] The trip is seen as an attempt to position himself for a possible presidential candidacy in the future, with DeSantis’ office branding the four-leg trip as an “international trade mission.” While in Israel, DeSantis also addressed an event at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, where he appeared to reject the Biden administration’s tacit opposition to Netanyahu’s judicial reform, which critics believe will erode the country’s most significant check on executive power.
0. “Ron DeTedious: DeSantis underwhelms Britain’s business chiefs” POLITICO Europe, 29 Apr. 2023, https://www.politico.eu/article/ron-detedious-how-desantis-underwhelmed-britains-business-chiefs
1. “DeSantis in Jerusalem touts pro-Israel credentials ahead of expected presidential bid” Axios, 27 Apr. 2023, https://www.axios.com/2023/04/27/desantis-israel-credentials-speech-jerusalem-2024-bid
2. “Ron DeSantis’ claim about Kemi Badenoch’s ‘anti-woke’ mission” PinkNews, 30 Apr. 2023, https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/04/30/ron-desantis-kemi-badenoch-anti-woke-lgbtq
3. “Ron DeSantis: I back Kemi Badenoch in her war on wokery” The Telegraph, 29 Apr. 2023, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/04/29/ron-desantis-interview-kemi-badenoch-war-on-wokery/
4. “Governor Ron DeSantis Meets with United Kingdom Secretary of State for Business and Trade Kemi Badenoch” Governor Ron DeSantis, 28 Apr. 2023, https://flgov.com/2023/04/28/governor-ron-desantis-meets-with-united-kingdom-secretary-of-state-for-business-and-trade-kemi-badenoch/
5. “Biden’s alienation of Riyadh makes Israeli-Saudi deal hard – DeSantis” The Jerusalem Post, 27 Apr. 2023, https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-741407
6. “Israeli PM plans to meet with Florida’s DeSantis during Israel trip” Middle East Monitor, 24 Apr. 2023, https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230424-israeli-pm-plans-to-meet-with-floridas-desantis-during-israel-trip/
