'We cannot succeed as a country if you are working hard and you can't afford groceries,' Gov. DeSantis said
Ron DeSantis expresses optimism he can reverse America's decline: 'Take that to the bank'
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reacts to the GOP primary Republican debate on 'Hannity.'
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned that America might never "recover" from another four years of a Biden presidency.
During a spin room interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity post-debate on Wednesday, DeSantis spoke about his plan to use the military "to take on the drug cartels" that are "killing tens of thousands of our citizens."
"I'm going to do it," DeSantis said. "I'm not just going to get in office and say, ‘forget about it.’"
BIDEN CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIR DECLARES PRESIDENT ‘DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE’ BEFORE SINGLE VOTE CAST
Ron DeSantis at Wednesday night's first GOP debate in Milwaukee. (Fox News)
"So people should know that now's the time to get it done. I think our country, if we get another four years of this, I don't know… If we recover."
"I really don't," he added.
During the debate, DeSantis said the "rich men north of Richmond" in Washington, D.C. have put Americans in the economic "situation" they find themselves in.
DeSantis was asked about Virginia musician Oliver Anthony's hit song "Rich Men North of Richmond" during Wednesday's Republican presidential debate.
President Joe Biden holds a meeting with his science and technology advisors at the White House on April 04, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images))
The GOP presidential candidate said our "country is in decline" but that the "decline is not inevitable."
"It's a choice. We need to send Joe Biden back to his basement and reverse American decline," DeSantis said. "And it starts with understanding we must reverse Bidennomics so that middle-class families have a chance to succeed again."
"We cannot succeed as a country if you are working hard and you can't afford groceries, a car or a new home while Hunter Biden can make hundreds of thousands of dollars on lousy paintings," he continued. "That is wrong."
DeSantis said America "also cannot succeed when the Congress spends trillions and trillions of dollars" and that those "rich men north of Richmond have put us in this situation."
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 23: Republican presidential candidates (L-R), former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy participate in the first debate of the GOP primary season hosted by FOX News at the Fiserv Forum on August 23, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Eight presidential hopefuls squared off in the first Republican debate as former U.S. President Donald Trump, currently facing indictments in four locations, declined to participate in the event. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The eight candidates met Wednesday night for the first GOP presidential debate of the 2024 cycle.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy took the one and two spots on the debate stage as former President Trump refused to hop into the conversation.
Additionally, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum took the debate stage on crutches after tearing his ACL.
Meanwhile, Biden was declared the Democratic nominee by Democratic National Committee senior adviser Cedric Richmond.
Houston Keene is a politics writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to
