Letter carriers latest federal union to denounce Ron DeSantis ‘slitting throats’ threat

DeSantis wins
'Appalling, shocking, disturbing.'

A powerful federal union is outraged by comments made by Ron DeSantis after the Governor said he’d “start slitting throats on Day One” as part of an effort rein in what he describes as “deep state” bureaucracy.

During a barbecue event in New Hampshire Sunday, hosted by former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, DeSantis said: “On bureaucracy, you know, we’re going to have all these deep state people, you know, we’re going to start slitting throats on Day One and be ready to go. You’re going to see a huge, huge outcry because Washington wants to protect its own.”

The video was first aired on MSNBC and began gaining traction in the press Thursday, prompting a response from the leaders of federal unions.

The National Association of Letter Carriers blasted the image as “dangerous,” “criminal,” and “out of line,” in what was an extended denunciation of DeSantis’ language.

“Gov. DeSantis’ violent threat against federal employees is appalling, shocking, disturbing and should alarm every single American. Our members, and all federal employees, have devoted their working lives to public service and do not deserve to be subject to violent threats and assaults, especially from politicians. Gov. DeSantis’ rhetoric would be extremely dangerous at any time, but is particularly disgraceful at a time when letter carriers are increasingly being targeted by violent criminals,” said NALC President Brian Renfroe.

Renfroe calls it “incomprehensible that a governor seeking the highest office in our country would call for violence against public servants.”

“Perhaps Gov. DeSantis has forgotten that any crime against an on-duty federal employee is a federal crime with severe consequences. His harmful threats of violence are criminal, will only exacerbate an existing problem, and have no place in elected office or our society,” he added.

DeSantis has used the image twice recently. In addition to vowing to start “slitting throats” last weekend in New Hampshire, the Governor said he wanted a Defense Secretary who was ready to “slit some throats” and be “very firm, very strong” in imposing their will as part of his effort to reform the military.

Other federal unions have denounced DeSantis. The American Federation of Government Employees‘ head said DeSantis had “no place in office” after the Governor’s vow to eliminate members of the federal workforce by violent means.

This is not the first time the Florida Governor has used the controversial terminology.

Last month, during an interview with the right-leaning outlet Real America’s Voice, DeSantis used the expression when talking about how he would change the hierarchy in the Department of Defense if elected.

“I think the idea that you take a flag [officer] or general officer who recently retired and put them as [secretary of Defense], I think it is a mistake,” the Governor said.

“You know, they may have to slit some throats. And it’s a lot harder to do that if these are people that you’ve trained with in the past or that you know,” DeSantis said. “So we’re going to have somebody out there, you know, be very firm, very strong, but they are going to make sure that we have the best people in the best positions, and there’s not going to be necessarily prior relationships that would cloud that judgment.”

Material from the Associated Press and The Hill was used in this report.

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


15 comments

  • RonBeGone

    August 5, 2023 at 9:11 am

    Ron keeps trying on TFGs pants, but they just don’t fit. He sounds like a poseur when he tries to talk tough because we know the only power he ever had was while bullying. Whether hiding behind his rubber stamp legislature in Tallahassee to bully the people of Florida or behind MPs as he bullied prisoners, he couldn’t slit a throat if his life depended on it.

    • eva

      August 5, 2023 at 2:08 pm

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  • Lynda

    August 5, 2023 at 10:47 am

    Two choices: 1) deSantis is delusional (and unqualified to be president. 2) deSantis is lying. (Voters in the USA have had enough of lying politicians.)

    How can deSantis be trusted to be the primo spokesperson for the USA to the rest of the world? If he is having one of his hissy fits about the policies of the UK, will he just threaten to bomb London?

    I haven’t seen any admission from deSantis that the phrase “slitting throats” should never be applied to the workforce or military of the country he thinks he can run better than President Biden.

    Donors, stop wasting money on this loser. Voters, cross him off any list of “qualified” candidates.

  • My Take

    August 5, 2023 at 12:03 pm

    When even the ‘going-postal’ crowd tells you to calm down you should listen.

  • TJC

    August 5, 2023 at 12:54 pm

    DeSantis also just said we need to “set a good standard for our children to follow,” when it comes to the language that presidential aspirants use. I guess he thinks throat-slitting is a laudible standard for a child to embrace.

    • Cheesy Floridian

      August 5, 2023 at 2:15 pm

      He’s been watching to much Game of Thrones.

  • Dont Say FLA

    August 5, 2023 at 1:42 pm

    The Rhonda Campaign should stop trying to sell Rhonda Club Cards. You know what would sell, Rhonda bobble heads.

    Rhonda IS a bobble head. Literally.

    He bobs his fat head with its Chia Pet hair with every syllable he utters, ensuring that he doesn’t just sound stupid. He looks the part, too. Rhonda is 100% authentic. Authentic Florida level stupid.

  • Kim grever

    August 5, 2023 at 1:57 pm

    Lol…. political discourse is nothing new. Either aliens will arrive or Trump will make America great again. , maybe both. 👽

    • Cheesy Floridian

      August 5, 2023 at 2:14 pm

      I’m hoping for the aliens.

    • My Take

      August 5, 2023 at 2:20 pm

      If hè hadn’t been born slightly before the Roswell event I’d have another theory too.

  • you you

    August 5, 2023 at 6:50 pm

    Talk about being woke.

    Fake outrage

    • Kamwick

      August 8, 2023 at 12:44 pm

      The opposite of woke is asleep.

      Maybe you should try to wake up, because your mewling about ‘woke’ just looks silly.

  • Thomas Dunson

    August 6, 2023 at 2:32 pm

    All of these leftist, Dem, deep state groups have such thin skin and NO contextualized reasoning abilities. Part of the Marxist, woke mantra. “Oh! I’m so triggered, I perceive a threat!” And, of course, the Dem/media complex promotes it. “What is it with Republican candidates who think they need to incite violence in order to win?” Talk about the ‘deep state’, here it is on full display, “A powerful federal union is outraged by comments…”. Let me add (now, don’t get triggered), the deep state needs to be destroyed, it is detrimental to the USA!!!

    • Mark Towns

      August 8, 2023 at 12:34 am

      Thomas,
      You are just jealous that we have jobs, and you do not.

    • Kamwick

      August 8, 2023 at 12:45 pm

      Okay, we get it.

      You’re all for violence.

Comments are closed.


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