Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, shown here in West Des Moines, Iowa, also spoke to supporters in Manchester on Dec. 30, 2023. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

MANCHESTER – Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis once again addressed the ongoing crisis at the southern border during his town hall event on Dec. 30, 2023 at The Factory on Willow in Manchester.

If elected, DeSantis said he would declare the southern border to be a national emergency.

“This has been an issue for decades,” he said. “When I am the president, it’s not going to be about talk, it’s going to be about action. You will have the sovereignty of this country restored and that will start on day one.”

He said many of the 8 million people who have crossed the border illegally are from China, Russia and Iran — countries that harbor hostility toward America.

“I am going to send those people back to the country that they came from,” said DeSantis.

He also turned his attention to the Mexican drug cartels, referring to them as terrorist organizations that continue to invade the U.S.

“Every single community in this country is seeing deaths as a result of fentanyl,” he said.

The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that in 2021 alone, nearly 107,000 lives were lost to opioid overdoses.

Although it may no longer be a priority on Capitol Hill, DeSantis said the opioid epidemic is something that his administration would tackle right away.

“I do care about this,” he said. “We have a duty to respond.”

In addition, DeSantis vowed to complete the border wall.

“Donald Trump promised that in 2016,” he said. “That’s why he was elected, to build a wall and stop this problem.”

DeSantis said the project would be funded by fees that the U.S. would place on remittances.

He also criticized the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC for “failing the American people” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“They did destruction to this society,” he said. “Not on my watch, you are going to see a new sheriff in town. We are going to hold those agencies Constitutionally accountable.”

He disagreed with former President Donald Trump who claimed that he did everything right during the pandemic.

“I don’t think that stands up to scrutiny,” said DeSantis.

DeSantis also called attention to a treaty that the Biden Administration is negotiating with the World Health Organization.

According to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the purpose of the treaty is to “establish a global consensus on how to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.”

“They say it’s a pandemic treaty, I say it’s a lockdown treaty,” said DeSantis. “On day one, we’d take that WHO treaty and we’d throw it in the trash can, it’s done.”

Regarding the economy, DeSantis expressed his displeasure with the Federal Reserve for pondering the adoption of Central Bank Digital Currency.

According to the Federal Reserve Board, CBDC is defined as a “digital liability of a central bank that is widely available to the general public.”

DeSantis said such a system would eliminate cryptocurrency and create a cashless society.

“I don’t think the Federal Reserve has the authority to impose this,” he said, adding that CBDC is not recognized in Florida, where DeSantis has been governor since 2019. “They want to take away your financial privacy and your financial freedom.”

As of Jan. 2, the national poll from Economist/YouGov showed DeSantis with 14 percent of the vote in the Republican primary election. This puts him in second place behind former President Donald Trump, who remains in the lead with 63 percent.

As of Dec. 19, 2023, the New Hampshire poll from St. Anselm College showed DeSantis with six percent of the vote. This puts him in fourth place on the state level behind former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie who has 12 percent, Haley who has 30 percent and Trump who has 44 percent.

The New Hampshire primary will be held on Jan. 23.

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