Ron DeSantis’ past comes back to haunt him as his support of privatizing Social Security resurfaces

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) once supported a seemingly controversial initiative that still sparks debates across the political aisle.

According to CNN, the Republican governor’s previous support of the privatization of Social Security might because a point of contention his rivals can highlight as conversations continue to stir about him possibly running for president in 2024.

The latest criticism of DeSantis stems from his previous remarks made during an interview with the St. Augustine Record while he was on the campaign trail back in 2012.

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“DeSantis fully embraced the Ryan plan in 2012 calling it a premium support system that would guarantee certain levels of coverage,” the report notes.

“I think people who are low income will probably be given coverage that is similar to what they have now,” DeSantis said during his interview with the St. Augustine Record. “I think people like me, who’ve been more successful, it’s not even that I will have to pay more. I will have premium support that’s going to guarantee me a certain amount of coverage.”

He added, “If you want something over and above that, if you want a Cadillac plan or something, then I do think it should be driven by the consumer rather than imposed on the taxpayers. And I just think that that makes sense.”

At one point during the interview, DeSantis made it clear that he supported former Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wisc.) previous proposal.

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“I would embrace proposals like [Rep.] Paul Ryan offered, and other people have offered, that are going to provide some market forces in there, more consumer choice, and make it so that it’s not just basically a system that’s just going to be bankrupt when you have new people coming into it,” DeSantis told the St. Augustine Record.

“Social Security, I would do the same thing,” he added. Per CNN, he later argued that “it was ‘unsustainable’ to allow seniors to retire in their late 60s.”

Although DeSantis has not yet officially announced a 2024 presidential run, some of his contenders are already taking aim at him to make sure voters are aware of his previous stance on Social Security.

CNN reports: “Trump recently released a video saying Republicans should never vote to cut ‘a single penny’ from Social Security or Medicare,’ and that he would protect the two programs.”

DeSantis has refrained from speaking on the topic in recent years, but candidates like former President Donald Trump will likely continue to highlight his previous remarks. Per the news outlet, other Republican candidates may also follow that path to discredit the Florida governor who is seen as a viable contender for 2024.

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