DeSantis: SVB's Focus on Diversity Distracted From Mission

Silicon Valley Bank's focus on woke economics rather than its core mission likely led to its collapse, but the "morass of federal regulations" that are available should have helped prevent that from happening, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday.

“I mean, this bank, they’re so concerned with DEI (diversity equity and inclusion) and politics and all kinds of stuff, I think that diverted from them focusing on their core mission," the Florida Republican said on Fox News "Sunday Morning Futures."

The bank lists DEI initiatives on its website as part of its overall policy, claiming that it is "building a culture of belonging with a global workforce that celebrates greater dimensions of diversity and reflects the markets we strive to serve."

Important: Reagan’s OMB Director first warned of major debt and bank crisis to happen in 2023 in new bestseller, advises 4 ways to protect cash – See Emergency Details Here Now!

SVB's collapse marked the second largest bank to fail since 2008, with the collapse of Washington Mutual.

DeSantis did not mention the bank's investment strategy or the investors' run on the bank, but instead pointed out that "we have a massive federal bureaucracy."

"They never seem to be able to be there when we need them to be able to prevent something like this," the governor said. "We’ll see what they do going into tomorrow. But I think it’s just very disappointing. Kind of reminds me of stuff that we saw in the financial crisis or Bernie Madoff where you had warning signs and yet the government that this is supposed to be their job and they always seem to whiff when it counts.”

DeSantis also on Sunday painted his trip to Iowa this past week as a trip to talk about his new book, not as a first indication that he'll be seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, as is being widely speculated.

"It's a first indication that we've got a great book that people are buying," he said. "Gov. Kim Reynolds is a friend of mine and I often tell people when they ask me in Florida who else has done a good job, I always say look at what Iowa's done. They've done a lot of things that Florida has done."

He noted that people come from around the country to Florida because they're not happy with their state, but Iowans say they're happy and like where they live. "

"We have a deficit of leadership in this country," said DeSantis, adding that he hasn't been doing any polling since he took office because he does not believe a leader should be held captive by polls.

"A leader leads by shaping public opinion and brings the people with you," he said. "The story of Florida is one, yes, policy success, but we went by winning from 32,000 votes in 2018 to win by 1.5 million votes in 2022. We had the largest margin that any Republican has ever had for governor and that's because we shifted the electorate in our favor. That's a testament that when you lead and people know where you stand and you deliver results, they don't have to agree with you all the time, they'll respect that and know they can count on you."

DeSantis also commented about a federal judge's ruling last week in favor of Florida to strike down a parole-like program to release migrants into the country.

"What the ruling says is that Joe Biden has been violating the law, his oath of office, and the Constitution," said DeSantis. "They're using this idea of parole and converting it into a way to nullify our immigration laws. That's one of the reasons you've had millions and millions of people illegally pour across the border and Biden paroles them and they get released into our communities."

DeSantis also discussed the success that has been happening in Florida, as described in his book, including the push against Dr. Anthony Fauci's COVID policies and the fight with Disney over its governance.

"They controlled 44 square miles of territory since the late '60s," he said of Disney. "No transparency, no accountability, except from laws, had massive tax breaks, and that's not good policy to do that...when you're going to advocate against core policies of our state like the rights of parents and well-being of children and we ended self-governing status in the of Florida and that was the right thing to do."

Important: Reagan’s OMB Director first warned of major debt and bank crisis to happen in 2023 in new bestseller, advises 4 ways to protect cash – See Emergency Details Here Now!