Standing before a packed arena during the April 14 Convocation, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shared the importance of fighting for truth amid a culture that has seen the woke agenda rapidly gain ground in recent years.
“We have made Florida the state where woke goes to die,” he said. “The woke mind virus represents a war on merit. It represents a war on achievement. It’s a form of cultural Marxism that seeks to use identity politics to divide Americans. Perhaps most of all, the woke represents a war on the truth. As a leader, I don’t seek adulation. I don’t seek any fanfare. All I seek is the pursuit of the truth. Truth is enduring. As time goes by, the deceit and the lies fade away and what is true remains. Yes, the truth shall set you free. Because woke represents a war on truth, we must wage a war on woke.”
He said the consequences of living under left-leaning governmental rule are dire.
“States and cities that are governed by leftist politicians pursuing leftist ideology have seen crime skyrocket, they’ve seen their taxpayers abused, they’ve seen medical authoritarianism imposed, and they’ve seen core American principles discarded,” he said. “The woke agenda has caused millions of Americans to leave these jurisdictions for greener pastures. This has been a great exodus of Americans.”
Desantis was presented with an honorary doctorate by Liberty Provost and Chief Academic Officer Scott Hicks and Chancellor Jonathan Falwell.
DeSantis recounted his state’s progress under his leadership and his path to office. He won the gubernatorial election by a slim margin in 2018 and was reelected in a landslide in 2022.
“My view is very simple: I may have earned 50 percent of the vote (in 2018), but that entitled me to wield 100 percent of the executive power, and I intended to do that to advance an agenda that I believed was right for the state of Florida,” he said. “We would not do that agenda based on putting our finger in the wind or looking at polls. Leaders are not captive to poll results. Leaders set out a vision. Leaders execute that vision. And leaders deliver results, and when you do that, it doesn’t matter what the polls were before that; you can change public opinion. People will support you if they see you’re doing a good job.”
DeSantis said his efforts in the state of Florida will continue and that we must “insist on the restoration of time-tested Constitutional principles.”
“I am honored to be here, and I look forward to the battles ahead,” he said. “I will fight the good fight. I will finish the race. I will keep the faith.”
During the Convocation, DeSantis was presented an honorary Doctor of Humanities.
“Seeing the work that he’s doing and the fight that he’s fighting is very inspiring,” junior Jesse Hughes said. “Especially for a bunch of young students, some of whom like me want to go into politics … seeing somebody who is a leader and is implementing their faith in their leading, no matter what field you are going into, it is truly inspiring.”
Before DeSantis delivered his message, Chancellor Jonathan Falwell acknowledged Liberty’s longstanding history of welcoming influential voices to its stage.
“Going all the way back through our history, we have always had the opportunity of individuals coming from many different sectors in life to speak into the lives of our students. We have had presidents and we’ve had vice presidents. We have had senators and congressmen. We have had global business leaders. We have had the opportunity of hearing from professional athletes … lots of different educators and leaders who have come and who have brought wisdom to this idea of what it means to be a Champion for Christ.”
Desantis met with students from the Helms School of Government during his visit.
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