Has Ron DeSantis been auditioning to be Red Caesar?

When one reviews his first six years as Florida’s governor, it’s not difficult to make the argument that Ron DeSantis has been auditioning to be the Red Caesar that the Claremont Institute, the Society for American Civic Renewal (SACR) and Doug Wilson’s National Christian Movement have been pining to take control of our nation.

• Believing that traditional democratic institutions have failed and plummeted the United States into chaos, the proponents believe a National Christian authoritarian leader – a Red Caesar – is the only way to address what they perceive as society’s challenges and restore America’s greatness.

• Gov. DeSantis’s governance style and rhetoric align with the authoritarian vision of a “Red Caesar.” Since taking office, he has built his political brand on aggressive culture wars, centralizing executive power, and challenging democratic norms in Florida.

He has created the state guard militia and a police agency, the Office of Election Crimes and Security, outside the federal government’s control and with no oversight.

DeSantis has restricted voting rights, limited press access, and reshaped state institutions to align with the conservative values of the Claremont Institute and the Heritage Foundation.

• And they have rewarded him. Heritage Foundation has ranked Florida #1 in Education Freedom for three consecutive years. The Claremont Institute honored him at their annual gala in 2021 for being a “longtime patriot and tireless defender of America and her founding principles.”

• DeSantis has also been a featured speaker at Heritage Foundation events, including its Mandate for Leadership series and its 2024 Leadership Summit.

Unfortunately, his 2024 presidential campaign struggled because he lacked the charisma or base loyalty needed to fully embody the “Red Caesar” archetype.

A CLOSER LOOK AT DESANTIS’ FAILED AUDITION

Thanks to Republican supermajorities in the Florida House and Senate, DeSantis has faced few challenges in his effort to enact the agendas of the Claremont Institute and the Heritage Foundation.

Education Policies

• Banning critical race theory in schools
• Expanding school choice and creating universal school vouchers
• Overhauling New College of Florida to implement a classical curriculum
• Requiring colleges to accept the Classic Learning Test for admissions
• Eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in higher education

Social and Cultural Policies

• Signing a 6-week abortion ban
• Implementing permitless carry of firearms
• Restricting discussions of gender identity and sexual orientation in schools (often called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill)
• Revoking Disney’s special tax status after the company opposed certain legislation

Immigration and Law Enforcement

• Expanding participation in federal immigration enforcement programs by sending law enforcement to the border
• Increasing penalties for illegal immigration and related activities
• Flying migrants to Martha’s Vineyard

Election Integrity

• Implementing stricter voting laws, including voter ID requirements
• Creating an election crimes unit to investigate potential fraud

Higher Education Reform

• Appointing conservative trustees to public universities
• Weakening tenure protections for professors
• Banning the collection of demographic data in universities

SHOWING CLAREMONT LOVE

DeSantis appointed two Claremont-affiliated individuals to the New College of Florida Board of Trustees, including Christopher Rufo, Matthew Spalding and Charles Kesler, as part of his effort to remake the college.

• Rufo was a fellow at the Claremont Institute.
• Kesler is a professor at Claremont McKenna College and editor of the Claremont Review of Book.
• Matthew Spalding was a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute

Casey Wheatland became an Assistant Professor of Political Science at New College of Florida in Fall 2024. He joined New College as part of a large group of new faculty members added for the Fall 2024 semester. Wheatland is a Claremont fellow and has written two articles on the Red Caesar for its American Mind.

Spencer Klavan joined New College as a lecturer in the Classics and Languages programs in the Fall of 2024. Klavan serves as associate editor of the Claremont Review of Books.

Why? The institute has provided intellectual support for DeSantis’s efforts to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs in Florida universities. Also, Claremont scholars have advised DeSantis on legislation such as the Stop WOKE Act, which restricts certain teachings related to race and gender in schools and businesses.

YENOR & DESANTIS

In February 2023, the Claremont Institute announced it had hired Boise State professor Scott Yenor as the think tank’s inaugural Senior Director of State Coalitions, with his office in Tallahassee. The announcement came weeks after Claremont-affiliated trustees that DeSantis appointed fired the president of New College of Florida.

• In a press release, the Claremont Institute wrote, “We are bringing Claremont Institute state activity to Florida for a few reasons, not least of which is the bold executive and legislative leadership in the Sunshine State. We are excited to help continue this work by educating allies and leaders alike on effective policy strategies to combat the woke regime in Florida and America at large.” 
• Claremont president and SACR board member Ryan Williams praised the governor: “Governor DeSantis has shown fearless intellectual and political leadership in the fight against woke leftism. We are thrilled to help him and his legislative allies continue this important work as part of our ongoing efforts across the states by creating a new Tallahassee-based position of Senior Director of State Coalition.”
• Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis touted the hire, tweeting: “Thrilled to welcome @scottyenor from the Claremont Institute to his new home in Tallahassee. Protecting Americans from infringing woke ideology is important work, and we are grateful Scott and the Claremont Institute picked Florida to continue their mission.”

In March, Yenor wrote for Claremont’s American Mind, “Making Woke-ism Die: The governor of Florida is taking a firm hand to combat the spread of DEI in the state university system..” Yenor pointed out that all 12 four-year Florida universities had a central admin dedicated to promoting DEI. All but one university included DEI in their strategic plans, and all but one had a university-level committee dedicated to DEI.

He tweeted: “@GovRonDeSantis has been pursuing wise and prudent policies, not only to defund bloated administrative offices dedicated to pursuing DEI but also to instill in the universities an alternative mission that emphasizes the foundation for a reasonable American patriotism.”

Political observers noted that Yenor and the Claremont Institute saw DeSantis as a more competent and ideologically aligned leader compared to Donald Trump. However, voters disagreed, and Claremont shifted back to Trump and helped draft Project 2025.

NO KNOWLEDGE OF YENOR’S VIEWS

However, DeSantis defended Yenor after announcing his appointment to the University of West Florida Board of Trustees, saying he was unfamiliar with Yenor’s radical ideas about women and how encouraging women to prioritize their careers has led to the decline of family life and our nation, according to Florida Politics.

“I’m not familiar with that. I mean, obviously, I think if you look at the state of Florida, we probably have a higher percentage of women enrolled in our state universities than we do men, and that’s probably grown under my tenure,” DeSantis said during the Jacksonville press conference on Jan. 13. “But what I don’t do, what I don’t like is cherry-picking somebody saying this, and then trying to smear them.”

NOT SO FAST, RON

After seeing how Yenor and the Claremont Institute have influenced so many of his policies, the governor’s denial doesn’t ring true. Gov. Ron DeSantis has done everything they asked of him and failed to win the White House. DeSantis fluked the Red Caesar audition.