- Education
- Health Care
- Politics, Institutions, and Public Opinion
- Monetary Policy
- Economics
- Answering Challenges to Advanced Economies
- Determining America's Role in the World
- Revitalizing American Institutions
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis joins Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson at the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee to explain how Florida transformed from a razor-thin swing state into one of the fastest-growing and most politically distinct states in the country. DeSantis outlines his governing philosophy—pairing conservative policy with a focus on competence—and details the results: rapid population growth, rising revenues without an income tax, debt reduction, and a dramatic political realignment. He reflects on controversial decisions during COVID, his approach to education reform and school choice, and high-profile battles with corporations, universities, and cultural institutions. The discussion also explores broader themes, including the decline of identity politics, the future of the Republican Party, and the enduring relevance of America’s founding principles.
Recorded on April 6, 2026.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Ron DeSantis is the 46th governor of Florida, assuming office in January 2019. Prior to serving as governor, he was a US House representative of Florida’s 6th Congressional District from 2012 to 2018. A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, he served in the Judge Advocate General Corps in the US Navy and as a legal adviser to the US Navy SEAL commander in Iraq.
Peter M. Robinson is the Murdoch Distinguished Policy Fellow at the Hoover Institution, where he writes about business and politics and hosts Hoover's video series program Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson. Robinson spent six years in the White House, serving from 1982 to 1983 as chief speechwriter to Vice President George H. W. Bush and from 1983 to 1988 as special assistant and speechwriter to President Ronald Reagan. He wrote the historic Berlin Wall address in which President Reagan called on General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall!”
