The Charlie Kirk Show

Episode: "Gov. DeSantis and Florida's Freedom Effect Goes National"

Date: April 30, 2021

Host: Charlie Kirk

Episode Overview

In this episode, Charlie Kirk examines Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s pandemic leadership and the ripple effect it has had nationally—coined here as “Florida’s Freedom Effect.” Kirk contrasts DeSantis’s decisions with lockdown-heavy approaches in other states, credits him with sparking a national reopening, and positions DeSantis as a model of courage and conservative leadership. The episode also explores broader cultural battles, including the role of activism in schools and ideological struggles for the soul of the nation. Throughout, Kirk urges grassroots action and highlights the importance of bold, principled leadership.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Is America Reopening? The "DeSantis Model"

• Kirk frames the national reopening as not merely the result of declining COVID-19 case rates or vaccine distribution, but as a reaction to the example set by Ron DeSantis and other bold states (05:00).
• Quote (Charlie Kirk, 07:38):
  “We’re reopening because we have a model for successful reopening.”
• Kirk highlights the contrast between states like Florida and lockdown-heavy countries in Europe (05:50). He suggests centralized, “one size fits all” COVID responses—championed by the likes of Dr. Fauci—are counter to American federalism and less effective.

2. Courage & Leadership: DeSantis’s Decisions

• Kirk repeatedly returns to the theme of courage as the essential leadership virtue revealed in crisis:
  • Quote (Charlie Kirk, 13:15):
    “Ron DeSantis had the ultimate state-based Churchillian moment where he had to decide whether or not he was going to lead the entire nation and with it the planet in reopening.”
• Cites data: Despite high population density and an older population, Florida had lower COVID case rates and death rates than lockdown states like California and New York (12:30, 15:00).
• Asserts that DeSantis’s approach kept small business losses far lower than national averages (14:30).

3. Reopening Sparked Nationally—Replicator Effect

• Kirk argues the reopening of Florida created pressure for other states (including New York under Bill de Blasio) to follow suit due to constituent demand (16:30).
• Quote (Charlie Kirk, 17:41):
  “The only reason why Mayor de Blasio is reopening is because now he has to go deal with constituents who have now gotten a small taste of reopening in Florida.”

4. Lockdowns: Unintended Consequences and Critique

• Kirk details negative outcomes from lockdowns:
  • Higher suicide and substance abuse rates, especially among youth in places like California (30:30).
  • Economic impact: Florida’s unemployment rate (4.7%) is far below California’s (8.5%) (27:40).
  • Schools, restaurants, and churches should be open—which, Kirk argues, serves public health better than keeping people isolated (13:00).

5. Taking Direct Aim at National Figures

• Dr. Fauci is heavily criticized, called “a pathological liar” whose advice “has been proven wrong at every single turn” (31:05).
• Asserts that both Biden and Trump are taking credit for things (reopening, vaccines) that DeSantis deserves credit for (19:00).

6. National Impact & Broader Conservative Movement

• Florida cited as a model in Republican politics: economic recovery, policy innovation (anti-rioting, anti-critical race theory, vaccine passport bans) (36:30).
• Cites educational achievement and the positive “Florida Effect” on Republican fortunes—Trump’s margin increases, Democrats losing ground in Florida (38:00).
• Positions DeSantis as “more of a president of this nation than Joe Biden” (17:57).

7. Leadership Is Contagious—and Needed Elsewhere

• Urges other Republican leaders to demonstrate similar courage, specifically calling out other GOP governors who have not followed DeSantis’s lead (20:45).
• “Leadership is contagious, everybody. And that applies to everyone listening right now. Where can you be courageous in your local community?” (39:23)

8. Grassroots Action: From School Boards to Local Organizing

• Advocates for conservatives to become local activists:
  • Attend school board meetings to fight critical race theory (50:30).
  • Name and shame left-leaning professors (“Professor Watch List” at Turning Point USA) (45:15).
  • Urges not just to “defend” but to start “playing offense” in the cultural realm (56:00).

9. Warnings from History: Ideological Subversion

• Cites Yuri Bezmenov, a Soviet defector, to suggest a long-game leftist strategy to undermine U.S. institutions (60:50, 62:16).
• Reads from the 1963 Congressional Record on Communist goals (53:00), applying these ideas to current events—emphasizing the need for “patriotic education” and defense of family and American history.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Leadership

• “Power shows the man.” (Kirk paraphrasing Aristotle, 10:50)
• “One man with courage is a majority.” (Repeated throughout, especially 15:20)

On DeSantis’s Uniqueness (Stanford’s Dr. Jay Bhattacharya)

• [19:53] Jay Bhattacharya:
  “I've never met a politician like him. He's extraordinary…we had a two hour conversation about COVID policy...he had read all the papers I referenced and not just my work, but lots and lots of other papers…bravery, intellectual bravery, and willingness to take a stand and sort of knowledge that I've never seen in a politician.”

On Cultural and Ideological Struggles

• “We are being governed by people that are willing to walk into restaurants and scream till they get what they want…It is the tyranny of the minority.” (Kirk, 47:00)
• “No more playing defense. No more saying that America is not a racist country. Instead we should say we're the most benevolent, open minded country ever to exist.” (Kirk, 56:35)

Yuri Bezmenov on Ideological Subversion

• [61:00] Yuri Bezmenov:
  “…a slow process…we call either ideological subversion or active measures…to change the perception of reality of every American to such an extent that…no one is able to come to sensible conclusions in the interests of defending themselves, their families, their community and their country.”
• [63:20] Yuri Bezmenov:
  “…the process of demoralization is complete and irreversible...to get rid society of these people, you need another 20 or 15 years to educate a new generation of patriotically minded and common sense people…”

Important Timestamps

• 09:00 – 15:00: Kirk’s comparison of COVID outcomes in Florida v. California, New York, and the logic behind reopening.
• 17:41: The “Florida Effect”—DeSantis’s actions prompting others to reopen.
• 19:02 – 21:07: Dr. Jay Bhattacharya on DeSantis’s decision-making and mastery of the science.
• 27:40 – 31:05: Economic impacts: unemployment rates, critique of Dr. Fauci and federal COVID strategy.
• 36:30: Highlights of DeSantis’s policy record—anti-rioting, anti-CRT, vaccine passport bans.
• 39:23: Kirk advocates for grassroots courage and action.
• 45:15: The “Professor Watch List” and confronting leftist academia.
• 50:30: Advice on attending school board meetings to counter progressive curricula.
• 53:00: Reading the 1963 Communist goals; ideological threats and warnings.
• 60:50 – 63:48: Yuri Bezmenov’s warnings about ideological subversion and the need for patriotic education.

Key Takeaways

• Ron DeSantis’s leadership is positioned as the pivotal force behind America’s rapid reopening and conservative resurgence.
• The Florida approach is cited as proof that bold, data-driven policy—carried out with “courage”—delivers superior health and economic results.
• The episode underscores the battle for America’s values in education and public institutions, drawing on Cold War history and contemporary examples.
• Kirk calls for conservative listeners to adopt a proactive, offensive strategy locally—particularly starting with school boards and community activism.
• Memorable quotes and external expert opinions reinforce the episode’s framing of DeSantis as a model for national conservative leadership.

Final Message

Kirk concludes by urging teamwork, courageous grassroots action, and a shift to an “offensive” posture in America’s cultural and political battles. Citing historical warnings and current policy struggles, he insists that conservative values—if asserted boldly—can win back terrain from the left.

For those seeking the essence of this episode: It is a call to action, premised on the argument that the future of American freedom hinges on courage and the willingness to fight for conservative values, with Florida and DeSantis serving as the guiding example.