Holding the CPAC political conference in his home state shows Ron DeSantis is more than ready for the national stage.

“Let me welcome you to the freest state in the United States!” Those opening words, following his walk-up tossing of campaign hats into the crowd that packed the main ballroom, served as the preamble to a speech that drew continuous applause. While not the first speaker at the conference he opened the doors with this speech, as the governor looked more than confident on his home turf and appeared as a man who has grown comfortable into his role as one of his party’s national mouthpieces.

This speech at CPAC reflected that growing acceptance.

While not necessarily electric in content, what we saw from the stage was a politician who is looking forward. The bulk of the speech was detailing his growing list of accomplishments here in Florida, itself a somewhat muted impact, but one possibly muted by my own proximity. As a Florida resident, I am well familiar with the things Ron has undertaken since he was sworn in. But, if this was a nod beyond this fall’s reelection bid, it makes perfect sense.

One sure way of garnering deepening credibility within his own party was his mentioning of the deep-red status of Florida. He noted his placement of conservative judges on the state Supreme Court, and then announced how Florida has long been a state that possessed more registered Democrats. This was framed by showing how many people have been relocating to his state, and when facing concerns that those transplants might turn the state blue, DeSantis said that as of today Florida boasts 86,000 more Republican voters for the first time.

The upcoming election appears to be well enough locked down. His two main competitors are Charlie Crist – who draws bi-partisan yawns – and Nikki Fried, the overconfident and under-skilled Agriculture Secretary, whose speeches and postings are so uniformly amateurish that they would not be diminished if she began every comment with “O-M-G.” So, it is not hubris but common sense that may have the governor looking at a stage larger than this state’s borders.

The Ron DeSantis at today’s event was a next-level appearance, as he appeared energized and supremely confident. As he rolled through a list of his accomplishments from the past years, he stressed how he had been making decisions on behalf of his electorate, not based on how it would reflect on him politically, while stressing the importance of being a leader, not a reactor. It was the start of a number of nods that hinted at a national audience, not just a native one. 

After a series of expected applause lines, DeSantis began to veer into the realm of the national stage. He described the various ways he has addressed the pandemic in Florida, when he followed it with, “I firmly believe if we had not led the way, this country could look like Canada or Australia.” From there, Joe Biden became a point of focus. Referring to it as the Brandon Administration was just one sign of the unflinching approach DeSantis took towards the president. 

Gov. DeSantis: "In times like these, there is no substitute for courage … Having the courage to stand in the way of the Brandon administration." pic.twitter.com/4gAyAVGbmg

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) February 24, 2022

From his fractured economy to his direct assault with Florida-specific dictates from the White House, Biden was targeted on a number of issues, which served to set the stage for people to perceive what a face-off with the President might look like in the future. Then DeSantis tossed a Molotov into the audience, when he brought up immigration antics. “We’re in the process of getting money from the legislature, so that if Biden is dumping illegal aliens into Florida – I’m rerouting them to Delaware.” 

GOV. DESANTIS: "We are in the process of getting money from the legislature so that if Joe Biden is dumping illegal aliens in Florida, I'm re-routing them to Delaware… we'll do some in DC and Hollywood as well." #CPAC pic.twitter.com/YaBp26T8hG

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 24, 2022

That brought the biggest applause of the speech, a standing ovation, as did his pledge to continue to ban Critical Race Theory in Florida schools. This was all part of showing a seemingly invigorated man, one who has grown more comfortable with a national platform, and who recognizes what the people want. As speeches go, this one was not especially poignant in the form of its content, but it was significant from the perspective of delivery. 

DeSantis has been a target of political attacks from Democrats and the media. This is being done out of a sense of real fear. On Thursday, he displayed all the more reason for them to be wary of his rise.