- Title: 'The kid is destined' - Town barber speaks warmly about Ron DeSantis
- Date: 24th May 2023
- Summary: DUNEDIN HIGH SCHOOL SIGN DESANTIS 2024 CAMPAIGN T-SHIRT INSIDE CIRESI'S BARBERSHOP SOUNDBITE (English) LOCAL BARBER AND CLOSE FRIEND OF DESANTIS FAMILY, ANDREW CIRESI SAYING: "You know, he won five elections in a row. I could understand Donald Trump being a little bit nervous. What's going on? You know, I myself, like I was telling you, are personally caught in the middle. And it's hard to sing that (Stealers Wheel) song, (Stuck...) 'Caught in the middle with you,' you know, and naturally, either one of them, I'm going to be happy with. I'm very happy for... I mean, there's not too many people just to say that I actually know a possible future president of the United States family. I mean, the odds of that happening are slim to none, let alone your local barber shop. I mean, Ron is, you know, grew up right up the street."
- Embargoed: 7th June 2023 16:31
- Keywords: desantis dunedin feature hometown politics ron desantis
- Location: DUNEDIN, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES
- City: DUNEDIN, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES
- Country: US
- Topics: North America,Government/Politics,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA005486724052023RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who will announce on Wednesday (May 24) he is seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is likely to be former President Donald Trump’s top rival due to his budding national profile and fundraising acumen.
For some in his hometown of Dunedin, Florida, his rise and aspirations come as no surprise.
A local barber and friend of the family, Andrew Ciresi, calls Ron 'the kid.'
"I really believe the kid is destined. Or should I say 'D', I call him the kid, but I really believe he's destined and he's very focused on, what he's doing is brilliant. He's really I mean, let's face the facts how many people go to Yale and Harvard graduate with honors in the top of their classes. There's a reason behind it," said Ciresi.
DeSantis, 44, has spent most of his career in public service and government.
While at Harvard Law School, he was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy and upon graduation, joined the Judge Advocate General Corps as an attorney.
DeSantis worked briefly as an assistant U.S. attorney in Florida before a successful bid for a U.S. congressional seat in 2012. He served in Congress until running for governor in 2018.
"Ron comes from the American family," said Ciresi.
"Donald Trump well, you know, he has Melania. That's a different world. You're talking a billionaire. I'm talking to a kid that came from the same place I did. You know, and you and everybody else, he wasn't born with a silver spoon in his hand," said Ciresi.
DeSantis was largely a political unknown statewide in Florida when he sought the governor’s office and was not favored to win the Republican nomination.
Then he got an endorsement from then-President Trump, whom he praised on the campaign trail and in TV ads. DeSantis ultimately won the election by a tight margin.
Trump has since taken credit for DeSantis' victory and accused his fellow Republican of being disloyal for considering challenging him for the presidential nomination.
"You know, he won five elections in a row. I could understand Donald Trump being a little bit nervous. What's going on? You know, I myself ... either one of them, I'm going to be happy with," said Ciresi.
DeSantis made his name nationally by opposing many of the policies advocated by the U.S. government to prevent the spread of COVID-19. He resisted mask and vaccine mandates and was determined to keep Florida businesses and tourism destinations open during the bulk of the pandemic.
He has since become a leading figure within the Republican Party in fighting back against what he argues are overly progressive policies favored by educators and corporations.
(Production: Maria Alejandra Cardona, Joan Soley) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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