At a 9/11 remembrance press conference in Palm Harbor on Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis reportedly reflected on the terrorist attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 American lives and underscored their enduring impact on the nation, Florida’s communities, and his own generation.
DeSantis, speaking after listening to essays from students, praised Florida’s education leaders for ensuring the attacks are remembered and understood by those too young to recall them. “I am publicly telling Florida’s commissioner of Education is doing a great job,” the governor said. “We have additional funds. I know we give scholarships out. We’re gonna give more money to these kids for that, because they deserve it.”
The governor emphasized the tragedy’s toll extended well beyond the day itself, noting the ongoing suffering of first responders who ran into danger to save others. “There’s been many that have died in the years since, as a result of what they did that day, and in the ensuing days,” he said.
DeSantis also reflected on his personal connection to the attacks. “I was in my early 20s when 9/11 happened,” he said. “So that was probably the foremost experience in terms of our country in my lifetime.”
The governor stressed the importance of ensuring younger generations understand the reality of the attacks and the lessons they hold. “I think we were the first state… Schools now, yeah, where we’re teaching our kids one, just about the fact that we were attacked by an enemy that day,” he said.
He described the educational effort as critical to helping students understand both the nature of America’s enemies and the courage of its citizens. “It is important for our kids to know that on the worst day, we’re the worst evil was equipped before us…. We saw selflessness. We saw people run into the fire,” DeSantis said.
Turning to recent events, DeSantis drew a parallel between the unity Americans displayed in the aftermath of 9/11 and the divisions threatening the country today.
He referenced the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, describing it as a chilling reminder of the dangers of political hatred. “Yesterday, we saw the assassination of a young political leader, Charlie Kirk… You see some of the evil that’s lurking within, and we’ve got some problems in this country,” he said.
The governor sharply condemned violence as a means of political expression. “If you don’t like it, it’s not to shout or scream someone down… and it is certainly not that should kill somebody in order to silence them.”
As he concluded, DeSantis warned against allowing domestic discord to undermine America’s values. “Let’s not now, 24 years later, succumb as a country to some of those forces inside our country who are really trying to upend what America is all about,” he said.
For DeSantis, the lesson of 9/11 remains both historical and immediate: the nation must honor its past sacrifices while confronting new threats with courage, unity, and moral clarity.
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