Hear, hear: Woe to any Republican who stands up to Donald Trump and his second-term agenda.
That message has come loud and clear from the MAGA wing of the Republican Party, where influential people like Charlie Kirk have promised to prioritize any GOP — especially those from deep red states — who don’t stand with the president-elect. .
.@charlekirk11 He says he has criteria by which Republicans should face a serious primary challenge.
1) They represent a “deep, deep red state”
2) A pattern of not listening to voters on substantive issues
3) They do not support Trump’s Cabinet nominees pic.twitter.com/IRXDBua9bM-Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) December 30, 2024
Some Republicans in Donald Trump’s home state of Florida may find themselves on the receiving end of MAGA wrath, not to mention the wrath of supporters of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, as they oppose the governor’s call for a special legislative session to move quickly on a list of matters, most importantly Trump’s immigration agenda.
DeSantis made the special session advertisement Monday morning:
Today I called for a special session of the Florida Legislature the week of January 27 to prepare Florida to lead the Trump Administration’s deportation program. We will allocate resources and ensure Florida state and local officials support these efforts.
We don’t have time to waste. Florida should lead.
While we are in special session, we must also address the major issues facing our state: ballot initiative integrity, disaster relief, and condominium regulations.
Despite previous clashes with Trump, DeSantis indicated that he is committed To work with the administration and take swift action on the President-elect’s ambitious plan to close the southern border and begin mass deportations.
“Florida’s state and local officials must assist the Trump administration in enforcing our nation’s immigration laws,” DeSantis said. “In order to do this effectively, we will need legislation to impose additional fees on local officials and provide funding for those local officials.”
As expected, Florida Democrats responded to DeSantis, with one of their own, Orlando State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith. Saying“This is about the governor drawing attention to himself after the inauguration for political purposes,” he added.
Another Democrat, Orlando state Rep. Anna Eskamani, criticized the governor’s desire to move quickly on the issue of illegal immigration reform, complaining: “This is a waste of taxpayer money.” “This is another attempt by Governor DeSantis to stir up a political scene with the goal of dividing us rather than bringing us together.”
Somewhat less unexpectedly, Senate President Ben Alberton and House Speaker Daniel Perez, both Republicans, declined to meet on January 27 to move forward on immigration reform, saying they would decide “when and what legislation we will consider.”
– Daniel Perez (@Daniel_PerezFL) January 13, 2025
Alberton and Perez stressed that they are “strong supporters of President Trump and ready to follow in his footsteps,” but insisted that it was “completely irresponsible” for DeSantis to “get out before any announcements” by the Trump administration.
DeSantis did not fear backlash from his party, reiterating that the special session would indeed be held on January 27.
President-elect Trump was elected with a mandate to stop illegal immigration and deport illegal aliens already in our country.
Florida state and local officials will ease the Trump administration’s policies against illegal immigration, and to do that we need… pic.twitter.com/PHvNYvjAH6
– Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 13, 2025
President-elect Trump was elected with a mandate to stop illegal immigration and deport illegal aliens already in our country.
Florida state and local officials will facilitate the Trump Administration’s policies against illegal immigration, and to do so, we need to allocate and approve the necessary funding and resources now.
As part of the special session I called on January 27, the week after President Trump is sworn in, I am calling on the Legislature to provide adequate funding for detention, transportation, transportation infrastructure, local law enforcement support, and everything else Florida needs to implement. This task.
Trump and his new border czar, Tom Homan, have made clear that tackling the border and initiating mass deportations, starting with criminal elements, are top priorities for the new administration, and actions are expected to begin on day one of Trump 2.0.
Florida Republicans, like Albritton and Perez, must also make clear they are on board with this plan by holding a special session for DeSantis on January 27. will Be watching.
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