Even Ron DeSantis thinks Republicans running on anti-trans ads was a bad idea

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a 2028 presidential contender with a long history of anti-transgender politics, suggested Republicans this year could have toned down anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric.

A day after a massive blue wave Midterm election, DeSantis held a press conference in Florida where he called the outcome “close to an extinction level event” for Republicans. He conceded the GOP needs to move past attacks on trans people.

“I knew Republicans were in trouble when I was reading an overview about what they were running ads on, and they’re spending hundreds of millions on transgender ads,” he said.

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The remark was an apparent reference to an Associated Press report, citing AdImpact data, which found Republicans had spent approximately $183 million on anti-trans television ads alone this cycle.

DeSantis built a national profile in part on fighting against what he characterizes as a transgender political movement. “Look, I fought Disney on gender ideology,” he said at the presser, referencing Florida’s notorious passage of a “Don’t Say Gay” law and then his stripping of self-governing rights for Walt Disney World in what the company characterized as retaliation over executives criticizing the bill.

The Florida governor also listed other policies targeting trans rights in Florida, including prohibiting trans girls from prompting in girls’ school sports and outlawing gender-affirming care for minors. But he noted Republicans won those fights years ago, so the public debate had little relevance to voters’ lives in the 2026 midterm elections.

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“That was not the issue motivating voters, and it was kind of an attempt to just scare Republicans to vote,” he said. “I think they ran some in Florida, but our voters, they know we took care of that. So that wasn’t speaking to their concerns. It was effective four years ago. Voters were glad we were standing up to some of the insanity that was happening.”

While he took shots at Democrats like Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed for defending trans rights, DeSantis suggested Republicans were foolish for running prior election cycle messaging.

“The ground shifts, and the emphasis then is on different things,” he said. “Four years ago we were in the peak woke era.”

The comments kicked off a media blitz for DeSantis, whose second term in office ends January. He could not seek re-election this year because of term limits.

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Republicans did win the governor’s race and the contest for an open Senate seat in Florida. DeSantis will be succeeded by Republican Byron Donalds, who has his own anti-trans record that he highlighted during the campaign. Florida Republicans also defended all GOP congressional seats but failed to pick up any Democratic-held ones despite DeSantis implementing a new and Republican-friendly redistricting map.

The outgoing Florida governor is widely expected to run for President in 2028.