On Sunday night, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis went to Tampa International Airport to welcome more than 260 Americans airlifted from Israel to Florida.
In a video filmed at the airport Sunday night and posted on X, formerly Twitter, DeSantis said, “There was a void in leadership, so we stepped up and led. We’re happy to be able to deliver that.”
“We’re getting ready to welcome them back to the United States of America,” he added.
As the Tampa Free Press first reported, 75% of those arrivals were from Florida.
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DeSantis had promised to get those Sunshine State citizens out of harm’s way in the Middle East on Thursday. “We will not leave our residents behind. To the many Floridians who are stuck in Israel, trying to get home — help is on the way,” DeSantis posted on X.
The pledge to rescue those Americans directly countered the efforts of the Biden administration, which, as the Tampa Free Press reported last week, was demanding that Americans in Israel sign a promissory note to repay the cost of the flight before they boarded a plane.
As the Tampa Free Press reported, “The State Department has offered Americans flights out of the country, but insisted they sign waivers agreeing to pay the U.S. government back for the trips, which would leave them in some European cities, such as Greece or Germany, where they would have to find flights home. Some have been offered travel by boat to Cypress.”
Liberals also asserted DeSantis had no reason or power to infringe on President Joe Biden’s domain.
Former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, now a CNN analyst who spends most of his time criticizing Republicans, posted on X, “You’re a governor. You have no power here <eye roll>.”
But DeSantis was adamant he would do what Biden was refusing to do or could not do.
“The Biden administration was dragging its feet,” DeSantis said Saturday as the first flights left Tel Aviv.
“They now say, ‘Well, maybe we’ll get flights and dump people in Europe,’ DeSantis said, paraphrasing the posture of the U.S. State Department. “But people don’t need to be dumped in Europe. They want to get home.”
DeSantis also promised more aid, if needed.
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On X, the Florida Division of Emergency Management posted a link to a form that Americans overseas could complete to catch a plane home.
“If you are stranded in Athens and in need of safe transportation back to the United States, we may be able to assist you,” the department said.
“DeSantis Airlines” is a nickname related to the flights DeSantis used earlier this year to ship illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, which had proclaimed itself a “sanctuary” city.
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