Ron DeSantis takes aim at New York City drag queens

DeSantis AP
'You start coming for our kids, we've got problems.'

Florida’s Governor is taking drag queens in the Big Apple to task.

During a speech in Hollis, New Hampshire, Ron DeSantis railed against drag performers in New York City, his latest in a series of campaign trail ruminations.

“You know, there was a thing, I think it was in New York City. Some of you may have seen it,” DeSantis said. “It was some type of demonstration and they had like these drag queens saying, the chant was ‘We’re coming for your children.'”

“Let me tell you this, you know, like people, adults, you know, they do. It’s a free country, right? I mean, like, I kind of just, like, you know, mind my own business. But you start coming for our kids, we’ve got problems. And we are going to stand up for our kids,” he continued.

This was the first time the Governor as a presidential candidate has addressed those particular drag queens, but he’s had plenty of remarks on the subject at previous stops.

“In the Navy, they’re doing things like gender pronouns and drag queens for recruiting, talking about things like global warming and really being detached from the core mission of what our services are supposed to be doing. And that has caused warriors to leave the service. It’s caused recruiting to plummet,” DeSantis said in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, back in May.

Hawkeye State Republicans had heard something similar before.

“When you see videos of folks recruiting for the military services using things like drag queens, you know, that is just fundamentally wrong,” DeSantis said at the Feenstra Family Picnic, a major confab of Iowa Republicans.

“You see them recruiting with, like, using drag queens and doing stuff with the pronouns and all this other stuff. That’s part of the main reason recruiting is so low,” DeSantis told podcaster Dinesh D’Souza in May.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. His work also can be seen in the Washington Post, the New York Post, the Washington Times, and National Review, among other publications. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


26 comments

  • Dont Say FLA

    June 27, 2023 at 11:38 am

    Poor Rhonda wants us to think he doesn’t realize when he’s being mocked by drag queens?

    Rhonda, you aren’t smarter than everyone, so maybe stop believing you are smarter than everyone . Then maybe your campaign would have some chance of getting out of the Swirly Trump’s been giving it

  • Joe

    June 27, 2023 at 11:43 am

    “Let me tell you this, you know, like people, adults, you know, they do. I mean, like, I kind of just, like, you know,”

    The Ivy-educated presidential candidate from Florida, ladies and gentlerubes!

    • Michael K

      June 27, 2023 at 12:24 pm

      Spot on!

      • Don't Say FLA

        June 28, 2023 at 7:43 am

        You know? Like, you know, woke.

  • NRA

    June 27, 2023 at 11:51 am

    You start coming for our kids, we’ve got problems, unless you’re using an AR15 or similar in which case that’s fine, shoot all of them you want. The Bill of Rights approves.

  • Joseph Smith

    June 27, 2023 at 11:58 am

    I have heard countless stories about how the Navy does drag for all kinds of events – crossing the IDL or the equator etc… It seems that No Hat No Navy Ron came up short and made no friends in the Navy to tell him these stories. And if Ron is afraid of Morgan, Mason, Matthew, and Modine being converted to liberals by a bunch of NY Drag Queens, he is more paranoid than I ever thought.

    • Dont Say FLA

      June 28, 2023 at 7:44 am

      Why would an ambulance chasing TV commercial law firm turn into drag queens? Or if I am reading that wrong, WTF is “Morgan, Mason, Matthew, and Modine”

  • PeterH

    June 27, 2023 at 12:07 pm

    This guy is fixated on drag queens and transgender! Something happened in his past that we’re not aware!

    • Dont Say FLA

      June 28, 2023 at 7:47 am

      We’re all aware that something happened to Ron. It started with his name being pronounced Rhonda Santis, and then he stopped growing a 8 years old, leading to [whatever all happened to them]. It’s written all over their face. I would feel sorry for Ron except he trans-formed into Rhonda and is such a raging hemorrhoid to everybody on the planet that I choose not to waste any of my personal sad feels on Rhonda.

  • Michael K

    June 27, 2023 at 12:23 pm

    Ooooh! I’m scared! Drag queens! Oh my!

    He’s obsessed with sex. And he doesn’t understand that it takes a real man to wear a dress.

  • Chatoyant

    June 27, 2023 at 1:05 pm

    RhondaSantis fears what he cannot understand or control. Fear and lack of a coherent vocabulary are Rhoda’s biggest flaws.

  • ScienceBLVR

    June 27, 2023 at 1:25 pm

    Oh, boy, my money’s on the NYC Drag queens on this one. DeSantis better hope the Gals ain’t coming for him!

    • Dont Say FLA

      June 28, 2023 at 7:51 am

      I can’t wait to see the Grease drag queen Broadway show.

      Look at me I’m Rhonda Dee
      Lousy with virginity
      Won’t go to bed till I’m legally wed
      I can’t, I’m Rhonda Dee

      Watch it, hey, I’m Boris Gay
      I was not brought up that way
      Won’t come across, even Rock Hudson lost
      (His heart to Boris Gay)

      [Bridge: Lizzo (Dink Ladies)]
      I don’t drink (Oh!) or swear (Oh!)
      I don’t rat my hair (Ooh!)
      I get ill from one cigarette (cough)
      Keep your filthy paws off my silky drawers
      Would you pull that crap with Casey Anthony Deeeeeee Santis?

      [Verse 2: Rizzo (Pink Ladies)]
      As for you, Troy Donahue
      I know what you wanna do
      You got your crust, I’m no object of lust
      (I’m just plain Rhonda Dee)

      Elvis! Elvis! Let me be!
      Keep that pelvis far from me!
      Just keep your cool, now you’re starting to drool
      Hey, fungu, I’m Rhonda Dee

      • Dont Say FLA

        June 28, 2023 at 7:54 am

        Yes, Rhonda. It’s me. And I remember all of it.

  • SteveHC

    June 27, 2023 at 1:47 pm

    I have to admit, this one’s pretty hysterical lol. I have a hard time believing that even New Hampshire *Republicans* would buy this nonsense, no one could possibly be that gullible.

  • Rich Kopystynsky

    June 27, 2023 at 8:41 pm

    No one gave two shits about drag shows other than aficionados until republicans decided to use it as a wedge issue because keeping voters afraid and angry is the only way to get Americans to vote Republican against their best interests.

    • Ron DeSantis wears High Heels

      June 27, 2023 at 9:26 pm

      They still don’t care about drag queens. Rudy Giuliani is a drag queen for crying out loud. There’s a video on YouTube of Donald Trump motorboating Rudy Giuliani while he’s in drag.

      But they do hate the entire LGBTQ community, and are using “Protect the Kids!” as cover to attack that entire community while getting to feel self righteous about it. Anybody with an IQ above room temperature can see that.

      • Dont Say FLA

        June 28, 2023 at 7:56 am

        GOP is trying to find a new bunch of folks to be their new n_____s because the GOP realized they cannot survive without the votes of the people they demonized for so long. The GOP is lost. The new n_____s they seek, it’s their own voting base, poor whites. That’s why the GOP is all “anti-woke.” They can’t have their voters realizing they’re the new n_____s.

  • Rich Kopystynsky

    June 27, 2023 at 8:41 pm

    No one gave two shits about drag shows other than aficionados until republicans decided to use it as a wedge issue because keeping voters afraid and angry is the only way to get Americans to vote Republican against their best interests.

  • So Jelly

    June 27, 2023 at 9:56 pm

    Casey DREAMS of living in Manhattan, living our lives and being FAR away from her birthswamp.

    • Dont Say FLA

      June 28, 2023 at 7:58 am

      Casey dreams of Elon Musk and Facebook Guy cage match kick boxing each other with Casey as the prize. For the winner, not for the loser. Dang it all, I mean “2nd place winner.” But hey it’s Casey’s dream. She can dream if she wants.

  • Tom

    June 28, 2023 at 7:36 am

    Just flipping through the news and I see that “Nine US religious leaders arrested last month on child sex crimes” and “nearly 350 K-12 educators arrested on child sex crimes in 2022” – both articles from Fox digital. Why is rhonda worried about drag queens from NYC? What a silly little man.

    • Dont Say FLA

      June 28, 2023 at 8:01 am

      Rhonda is worried about drag queens because he needed a very small block of people to finger point at without losing as many votes as the GOP lost by finger pointing at black people for the last 50+ years. Anti-trans anti-drag anti-gay, it’s all smoke and mirrors, trying to pretend they don’t still hate black folk now that black folk votes are required for winning.

  • Im a Groomer

    June 28, 2023 at 10:03 am

    I’m a groomer, so what choices do I make? I choose to, you know, to be a drag queen. I do not choose to work or participate regularly at schools, churches, scouts, etc, places where children can be groomed. No, I go and be a drag queen when there are exactly zero children up at the gay bar at 1 AM. And to be extra sneaky, I dress up in my drag and go read a book to some kids once in a while because that, one-offs, that is exactly how grooming works. Grooming is not accomplished over time with constant exposure and gaining trust. No, not at all. So drag queen is the PERFECT choice for me, a groomer. LOFL. Rhonda is such a dum bass.

  • Shani

    June 28, 2023 at 7:04 pm

    Recruiting is low because nobody body wants to fight a war if one comes up for people like Desantis and Trump. Look how you have divided everyone in Florida. Look how Trump has divided everyone in this country. Nobody wants there son, daughter, husband or wife to fight for something y’all started with your hateful acts. You blaming drag queens. How dare you! Drag queens have taught people acceptance, beauty, courage and those kids that you want to stifle so much they are teaching them that they can be themselves and love themselves. DeSantis and Trump has only show hate, encouraged violence and poverty. All DeSantis is doing is teaching self hate. Wtf stop saying gay, you are ridiculous. How far are you going to go taking away peoples rights? We are already a violent state now you want follow your buddy in Texas, with this gun situation You don’t think. . All this media is not good or cute. No wonder New York threw you out and told you to go back to Florida and fix it. Oh and the program for the children to be citizens of undocumented parents. How dare you say you want to get rid of the program. Your ancestors probably rolling in there graves. Shame on you. I thought if we put Trump back in there, we would be in trouble but DeSantis we all doom. Might as well look forward to slavery after while.

  • Jim curry

    June 29, 2023 at 8:28 pm

    Rhonda is amazing, he is passing laws to hide everything he does and where he went, and if he loses he still has his job. I wonder what he is really hiding it will be great when we find out. Oh let’s impeach him and be done with it,

Comments are closed.


#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Jesse Scheckner, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704