Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida announced his presidential bid Wednesday night in a live stream on Twitter, the live stream being delayed due to technical problems and sometimes misleading statements. .
Here is a fact check of some of his claims.
What was said?
“Biden has also politicized the military and caused recruitment to plummet.”
This lacks evidence. Military leaders have recently warned that some branches of the armed forces are struggling to meet recruitment targets, but the reasons they cite have little to do with President Biden. In particular, many young Americans are simply unqualified.
A 2020 Pentagon study found that only 23% of 17- to 24-year-olds could meet service standards, with many failing military entrance exams or physical and mental tests. That percentage was down six percentage points from the previous study in 2017.
Military leaders solve recruitment problems in a congressional hearing in April, Note that the problem has been continued.
Christine Worthuth, the military secretary, said: “The difficult recruitment situation we are facing has not happened in a year and it will take us more than a year to turn this around.
Worthuth also noted that a Pentagon survey of 2,400 16- to 28-year-olds asked about obstacles to enlistment. Respondents cite fear of injury and death as a top concern, while cultural and political issues – “such as military sanity or the Covid vaccination mission – are important concerns.” this issue is relatively low on the list of barriers to obligation,” she said.
What was said?
“In Florida, our crime rate is at a 50-year low. You look at the top 25 crime cities in the US, Florida isn’t among the top 25.”
This is largely true. The state’s crime rate fell to a 50-year low in 2021, but Mr. DeSantis ignored one big warning: Many law enforcement agencies in the state have turned to a different reporting method. and the data is temporary and incomplete in many cases, The Tampa Bay Times reported.
Data from just 59% of Florida’s agencies covering 57.5% of the population is used for the state’s overall crime rate in 2021. That reflects a nationwide trend: Across the country, nearly 40 percent of law enforcement agencies fail to report crime data for 2021 because of the new method.
No Florida city ranks near the top for violent crime rates compiled by Private company And News shop. But it’s worth noting that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and criminal justice experts have long advised against comparing crime rates between cities, given the large differences in population size and demographics. learn.
What was said?
“Probably nobody makes more money for Disney than me because they are open during the Covid period. And they closed in California and that went on for months, literally, I got all the theme parks in Florida open in 2020.”
This is exaggerated. Disney World in Florida closes on March 15, 2020, along with every other Disney theme park worldwide. It reopen in July, after being decommissioned for four months. Disney resorts in Paris, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo also reopen in 2020 after being closed for months. Disneyland theme park in California reopen on April 30, 2021after a year-long closure, the longest of any Disney resort, after the state allowed theme parks to reopen.
Mr. DeSantis is also downplaying his own actions during the coronavirus pandemic. He issued an executive order on April 1, 2020, instructs all Florida residents to “restrict personal movement and interactions outside of their homes to only necessary.” While the order did not explicitly close theme parks, it restricted openings to essential services and activities and banned gatherings of more than 10 people. The order expired on May 1st.
What was said?
“The whole book ban is a hoax. There is not a single book banned in the state of Florida. You can go buy or use any book you want.”
This is misleading. There is no statewide book ban, but Mr. DeSantis is downplaying the extent to which school districts and individual libraries in parts of the state have removed books. In fact, Florida is second, behind Texas, as the state with the most bans with 357, according to US PENa non-profit organization that supports free speech.
The law signed by Mr. DeSantis restricting discussion of sexual orientation, gender identity and race has caused teachers and authorities to remove books.
Books that have been removed from shelves in Florida includea picture book of two male penguins raising a chick” by Toni MorrisonBluest eye” and Margaret Atwood “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
