Ron DeSantis has published a number of policy proposals on his website (although they’re not always easy to get to, so in thrall to ‘the socials’ are the consultants). If one imagines an RDS administration that actually tries to implement any of these, one can also speculate on the tactics of the establishment in resisting them, and their chances of success. I, therefore, excerpt below those actions Gov. DeSantis has pledged to undertake (including those which would require lobbying for a change in law, but excluding, by and large, those that just involve merely expressing a preference).

ban imports of goods made from stolen intellectual property

strengthen protections to stop child and forced labor

end China’s preferential trade status

prevent companies from sharing critical technologies with China

ban the sale of strategic assets like farmland to CCP members and their affiliates

incentivize the repatriation of U.S. capital from China through strategic tax abatements

align market incentives with strategic goals to help secure our supply chains and invest in America [ed. Not sure what this might mean

an ambitious tax and regulatory reform agenda/extend the individual tax rates and further simplify the tax code, permanently (?)/incentivizes long-term, domestic investment over financial speculation and short-term returns while purging the code of K Street carveouts and loopholes/full immediate expensing, maintain territoriality, and further strengthen base erosion measures to ensure corporations are investing in America/

reverse Biden’s job-crippling and ideological regulations and executive orders on Day One

eliminate the fourth branch of government. “The days of attempting to regulate the American economy into oblivion by ideological extremism will be done.”

use all available Article II authority to restore accountability in the executive branch, move agencies out of DC and slash the bureaucratic state, restrict foreign lobbying and post-employment revolving doors by former government officials, and ban individual stock trading by members of Congress and executive branch officials [ed. this seems a bit of a mix of executive and legislative action]

deprioritze the left’s ideological agenda, crushing regulations, and endless permitting requirements

reverse the federal government’s attempt to force people to buy electric vehicles

strengthen rules governing fiduciary responsibilities, transparency requirements, and scrutiny of firms that manage public pension funds to combat ESG/wokism through “concentrated private power” (big corps and funds, one assumes)

instruct the DOJ Civil Rights Division and relevant agencies to root out discrimination under the false guises of diversity, equity, and inclusion

steer [educational] funding towards programs and institutions that support the jobs of the future

work with the private sector to accelerate and develop vocational and apprenticeship programs in anticipation of our great industrial revival, with a goal to become #1 in the world for skilled trades by 2030 [ed. #1 measured how?]

no longer incentivize useless degrees and courses with blanket government loans/make universities, not taxpayers, responsible for the loans their students accrue/seek to allow student loans to be discharged through bankruptcy like any other loan

secure the border, enforce immigration laws, eliminate chain migration and the diversity visa lottery, and limit unskilled immigration

destroy the fentanyl market in America

appoint a Chairman of the Federal Reserve who will focus on maintaining a stable dollar instead of the political pressures of the day

ensure that the Federal Reserve does not implement a central bank digital currency (or social credit system)

protect cryptocurrencies/Bitcoin [ed. the financial parts seem to have written by a different hand than some of the other sections]

in the event of an existential economic crisis, seek to strip those accountable of all golden parachutes and prevent the further accumulation of wealth to those already deemed too big to fail [ed. this is a weird one: why wait for a existential financial crisis?]

mandate work requirements for welfare programs

use Article II authority to prohibit federal grants to entities that engage in active discrimination through DEI or other unconstitutional initiatives

get rid of Diversity and Inclusion administrators for each military department and end all DEI hirings

end Military Departmental task forces, working groups, advisory boards, and other panels that focus on DEI. (For example, Task Force One Navy, Army Project Inclusion, and DOD Racial Disparity Reviews)

task and hold accountable a Secretary of Defense who will elevate and consider generals, upper tiers of Pentagon flag officers, and military civilian leadership whose focus will be on lethality, readiness, and capabilities

end drag shows on military bases

prohibit the Department of Defense from conducting business with advertising with left-wing firms that blacklist conservative news sources

revoke Executive Order 14004, which allows transgender personnel to serve in the military in their preferred sex and provides taxpayer funds for sex change hormones and surgeries, which cause issues with readiness

close the “Defense Equity Team,” and the “Defense Advisory Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”

prohibit Department of Defense contracts to Federally Funded Research and Development Corporations related to DEI until their policy changes

reform the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness to focus on the critical challenges facing the military such as recruiting, retention, and healthcare

defund and prohibit any courses associated with Critical Race Theory at service academies

require that fields of study at service academies be in fields traceable to military needs such as military history, leadership, nuclear engineering, personnel management, or software development

prohibit the instruction or propagation of theories such as Critical Race Theory (CRT) as part of military training.

no government building should raise any flag except the U.S. and military flags (except flags from foreign countries for official events, POW/MIA flag).

ban woke recruitment content and the use of military social media accounts for activist content. Stop social media accounts of military accounts from posting on topics or issues that are not within their mission or are not recruitment messages

study the role of social media on military servicemen and Department of Defense civilian workforce [ed. do you think they meant “effect” rather than “role”?]

expand school choice and parental rights for families with children in Department of Defense schools.

establish a “Merit, Fairness, and Equality (MFE) Task Force” to review the curriculums of the service academies and training in the military

repeal the accreditation requirement for PME programs and launch an immediate study to reforge all schools into competitive, rigorous, focused schools of operational and strategic excellence

end equity plans that prioritize certain veterans for benefits over others based on their race

require all military services to have physical qualifications according to gender neutral standards

require statistical data transparency for performance and end any equity initiatives related to standards and readiness

ban race and gender quotas in military recruiting and promotions and mandate personnel decisions including accession, assignment, selection, and promotion based on merit

establish Department of Defense service standards based on readiness/select the best applicants regardless of identity categories, rather than engaging in racial preferencing policies

investigate any commander suspected of using racial or gender preferences in promotions

disallow the Pentagon from punishing troops based solely on their Covid-19 vaccination status, and allow troops who were kicked out for refusing the vaccine to reenter service with a changed reason for discharge and reinstatement to their prior rank from before they received punishment for their Covid-19 vaccination status

back pay active-duty members basic pay rates for time they missed as a result of punishment (discharged, separated, retired, or reassigned) for not receiving the Covid-19 vaccination [ed. “back pay” is a verb now]

require that any environmental projects should have a cost-benefit analysis that prioritizes national security needs.

end activist climate change programs and focus on national security needs at-large

end the requirement for Department of Defense contractors to track and slow their greenhouse gas emissions at the cost of readiness

stop EV funding that was initiated because of climate change activism rather than military readiness

stop funding programs for environmental justice

maintain a proper enforcement of a Uniform Code of Military Justice and end the costly Biden Administration’s Department of Defense Countering Extremism Working Group

enforce Article 88 (Contempt Toward Officials) of the Uniformed Code of Military Justice which courts have found applies to retired generals and admirals. Any service member may be prosecuted for “contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Security, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present.”

cease issuing security clearances to retired Department of Defense senior leadership that go on network and cable news shows and who, as paid analysts, monetize and politicize their access to so-called “inside information.” This should include removing security clearances from the 51 individuals who signed on to the Hunter Biden laptop “disinformation” letter in October 2020.

institute a cooling off period for Pentagon top officials both before and after their tenure from serving as military contractor board members and lobbyists

issue an executive order to fire immediately any high-ranking military or intelligence official who knowingly lies under oath to a federal official or Congress

fire immediately any joint chiefs officer who contacts an enemy counterpart without the knowledge of the president and overrides the authority of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

review, within 6 months, the performance of all personnel in 4-star command and staff billets . Anyone determined to have promoted policies to the detriment of readiness and warfighting will be asked to resign or otherwise be removed from those positions. Similar reviews will be conducted over a longer time horizon for 3-star command and equivalent civilian SES positions.

develop a program for schools to teach that our military is and has been a force for justice and good in the world.

order the Department of Defense to collaborate with external organizations to encourage open expression of honest views on perceptions and morale from potential recruits, voluntary military departures, and current personnel: “This transparency will play a vital role in rebuilding trust and confidence among servicemembers, their families, and the broader American public.”

expand JROTC programs and civics programs in secondary schools

work with the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition to promote military recruitment [ed. why not disband it?]

allow military families to request the creation of educational savings accounts for their children

end catch-and-release

reimpose Remain in Mexico

increase Border Patrol pay to boost recruiting

have DHS conduct a recruitment campaign targeting former military members and police officers for positions at CBP and ICE

take action to end the idea that the children of illegal aliens are entitled to birthright citizenship if they are born in the United States: “force the courts and Congress to finally address this failed policy”

close the Flores loophole that incentivizes child trafficking

tax remittances from illegal aliens, with exemptions for U.S. citizens and lawfully present foreign nationals, and penalize countries attempting evasion [ed. this seems a bit incoherent – perhaps it just said “tax remittances, with exemptions” in an earlier draft]

end the use of Notices to Report and any government funding for non-citizen travel

end the abuse of prosecutorial discretion and parole authority in immigration-related cases and deport criminal aliens.

work with Congress and through further executive actions to strengthen and enforce E-Verify

defund and prosecute entities that aid or conspire to violate U.S. immigration laws

seek changes from Congress to strengthen penalties for human trafficking, smuggling, and reoccurring illegal reentry

deport visa overstays

direct the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security to reinstate Asylum Cooperative Agreements with Northern Triangle Countries immediately

seek changes to give immigration judges summary disposition authority and require DOJ to greatly narrow conditions for continuance, motions, and administrative appeals

sanction and restrict visas of countries who do not accept deportees

work with Panama to close the Darien Gap to prevent future caravans from South American and prevent Chinese control of the Panama Canal.

establish priorities under the Development Finance Corporation to seek areas of opportunity with returned workforces in Central and South America for supply chain nearshoring and cooperative agreements to end migration patterns

seek additional resources for CBP personnel and technology on America’s northern border.

build the wall. No excuses.

use the military to assist the border patrol on day one, and they will continue to help until the wall is built

use every dollar available to him as President and every dollar he can squeeze out of Congress to build the wall

order the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to clear Carrizo cane and build navigable roads along the Rio Grande for CBP border security operations

declare the Mexican drug cartels to be Transnational Criminal Organizations/authorize sanctions on cartels, cartel leaders, and other entities known to do business with the cartels/strengthen penalties for those who traffic in fentanyl, as well as those American citizens who work with the cartels

set up a Joint Counter-Cartel Task Force to direct and prioritize anti-cartel intelligence gathering and actions by our law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

authorize appropriate rules of engagement at the border so that those trying to smuggle drugs into the United States are met with the use of force

reserves the right to operate across the Mexican border to secure our territory from Mexican cartel activities

stop DOJ from suing states when they enforce immigration laws.

impose firm penalties on sanctuary jurisdictions

seek funding to reimburse states who have been forced by Biden’s border crisis to take the direct costs on the chin

remove illegal aliens from census apportionment calculations

The military items are detailed and plausible. Is there a sufficient number of folks at the DoD and in the services who would actually carry them out, in spirit as well as letter?

The border items don’t just focus on the short term. Can any administration overcome the open-borders coalition?

Rooting DEI out of the swamp: any chance?

Tax reform?