EXCLUSIVE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will unveil his economic policy as the Republican presidential candidate spotlights his "Declaration of Economic Independence" in a speech on Monday in New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP nominating calendar.
Word of the economic policy rollout, which was shared first with Fox News on Thursday, comes in the wake of staffing layoffs by the DeSantis campaign earlier this week in a move by top officials to "streamline" their 2024 White House bid.
DeSantis aides emphasized that the economic policy the governor spells out on Monday is "expected to be a key cornerstone of DeSantis’ campaign as he ramps up his insurgent message" with the first Republican presidential nomination debate less than a month away. The Fox News-hosted showdown will take place Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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The New Hampshire speech will be DeSantis’ third major policy announcement of the campaign. The governor unveiled policy to secure the nation’s borders in a June address and last week rolled out his "Mission First" military policy.
The campaign says the new economic policy is expected to be heavily focused on "strategically decoupling the American economy from China and the globalist elites that have been wreaking havoc on the American Dream."
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DeSantis campaign spokesman Andrew Romeo said in a statement to Fox News that "American families across this country are hurting because of rampant inflation, stagnant wages, and an economy that prioritizes China, corporations, and elites over people just trying to make ends meet. Governor DeSantis looks forward to announcing his plan to revive the American Dream and declare our nation’s economic independence Monday in New Hampshire."
In a speech during a stop in Utah last week, DeSantis appeared to tease his upcoming economic policy rollout.
"We're going to put together the vision for the economy. Some of it will be based on all the success we've had in Florida, of course, but there's a lot more to do when you talk about our national economy. So, we look forward to being able to articulate that vision that I think has been sorely lacking in this country," the governor said.
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The speech may give DeSantis an opportunity to shift the focus of his coverage back to policy following a couple of weeks of negative stories spotlighting his campaign’s overspending, downsizing and other stumbles.
Former President Donald Trump, who remains the commanding front-runner in the GOP nomination race as he makes his third straight White House run, has expanded his large double-digit lead over DeSantis in numerous polls since the governor declared his candidacy two months ago.
And Desantis' advantage over the rest of the large field of 2024 Republican presidential candidates has eroded since late spring.
The economy remains a top concern for American voters, who continue to give President Biden a failing grade on the issue. Even though fears of a recession appear to be subsiding and inflation has eased, more than three-quarters questioned in the most recent Fox News national poll said the economy was in fair or poor shape.
