Page 1

How Suarez Attacks DeSantis

Personality / Loyalty

Will Cain podcast, 7/5/23

[24:56] Cain mentions Suarez didn’t support Trump in 2016 & 2020 and didn’t support DeSantis
in 2018. Suarez wrote in Marco Rubio and Mike Pence in 2016 and 2020. If he’s not elected, he
will support Trump against Biden. Suarez says he supported DeSantis in the primary election
and gave him money, but he didn’t thank Suarez or build a relationship. He thinks DeSantis has
lost 12/13 congressional endorsements in Florida because he doesn’t build relationships. Suarez
says after Rep. Steube fell from the ladder he didn’t get a call from DeSantis. Suarez says he
never endorsed or raised money for Democrat Andrew Gillum, he simply voted for him. He’s
glad DeSantis won and he supported/raised money for him in 2022. Suarez says he believes in
loyalty and people helped DeSantis when he made mistakes, but then he dumped them after.

[27:31] Cain asks if it’s fair to say his lack of support previously for DeSantis and differences
today are more about personality/character than policy. Suarez says they agree on a lot of
policy, but definitely have different personalities. He says he doesn’t make much of it, whereas
the press likes to talk about things that are conflictive.

Fox News interview, 6/22/23

(:37) KAYLEIGH MCENANY: I will get there. I want to start on your boat to the gubernatorial
race. You voted for Andrew Gillum. He was backed by a Soros group. Bernie Sanders endorsed
him and a lot of conservatives will say why him?

SUAREZ: I voted for him but did not support or indocin. I supported and gave money to Ron
DeSantis in the primary. At the same time that Donald Trump did even when the governor said
at the time it wasn’t a smart move. I never got a phone call back and never got a return call. He
didn’t build a relationship with me and lost my city by 20 points and didn’t connect with my
voters. I supported him in his reelection. Unfortunately just wasn’t able to build a relationship
with him.

MCENANY: What was at stake? Gillam would have driven Florida into the ground. Not calling
back is that a reason?

SUAREZ: You have to build relationships with people. I am a loyal person. For example, he was
supported by Donald Trump. Donald Trump got him to the finish line. Now he has turned
around and not only run against the former president, but also sort of betrayed some of the
people that helped him get there. That says more about him than me.
 Page 2

Fox Business interview, 6/16/23

SUAREZ: The other misconception was that I supported Andrew Gillum. I didn’t support Andrew
Gillum and didn’t raise money for Andrew Gillum. I didn’t endorse Andrew Gillum. I actually
gave money to Ron DeSantis --

CAVUTO: But you voted for him [Gillum] right?

SUAREZ: I voted for him and I’ll tell you why. I gave money to Ron DeSantis in that primary,
same primary where he says of President Trump that he helped him when it wasn’t smart to
help him. I never got a phone call saying thank you. I never got a follow up. I never got a, hey,
would you like to support me or endorse me? There was no relationship built and frankly lost
my city by 20 points and barely won that governor’s race and then turned on the person that
endorsed him and the people who helped him like Susie Wiles and others. That to me and by
the way in his reelection and that was the best candidate and did a fundraiser for him right
after this election and he came to my law office and raised money for the party and he was
there.

Forbes interview, 6/21/23

[20:13] Suarez says he supported Ron DeSantis in the primary and voted for his opponent
because DeSantis “never called” him. He continues, saying “there was a lot of support” given to
DeSantis throughout his career, but he hasn’t kept up his relationship with Suarez.

[21:45] In the presidential race, Suarez says he’d rather be “less known and exciting, than better
known and unexciting.” He says there are candidates that are well known and going down “in
the case of the Governor.”

Fox News interview, 6/16/23

DOOCY: What is your relationship like with Ron DeSantis? There are rumors about whether or
not you guys get along. Do you get along?

SUAREZ: You know, the governor is not particularly a relationship guy. You know, he doesn’t
have, from what I understand, a great relationship with a lot of our federal elected officials,
that’s why he lost, I think 12 out of 13 endorsements in his own state for congressman because
he doesn’t call people and try to build a relationship. I’m very different, like I said I’m accessible,
 Page 3

I call people, I’m a people person. I love people. And I look at them in the eye and shake their
hands, you know, when I see them. So that’s never been an issue for me. And it won’t be an
issue we’re just very different people.

Fox News interview, 4/20/23

KILMEADE: How are you different than Ron DeSantis who I understand you haven’t really spoke
to since January. You guys don’t have a good relationship. Right?”

SUAREZ: He seems to struggle with relationships generally. I mean, I look people in the eye
when I shake their hands. Had you mentioned earlier in the program he doesn’t get along with
the governor. He has had a real struggle with the Florida congressional delegation. Most of
which are supporting the former president. There was an article last night that talked about the
fact that he wasn’t even calling people personally that his fundraiser was the one or his, I think
pollster was the one that was calling congressional leaders for support. I’m comfortable being a
retail politician. And comfortable talking to people.

Disney

NewsNation interview, 5/18/23

Q: Ron DeSantis versus Disney. Disney basically said we might retaliate and it seems like today
they did, pulling back on a billion dollar investment that they say will cost some 2,000 jobs at an
average pop of $120,000 per salary. What do you make of the battle there and do you think
that the Republican governor in your home state misplayed this one.

SUAREZ: Look he took an issue that was a winning issue that we all agreed on, which was
parental rights for k through third graders, and it looks like now it’s something that’s spite or
maybe, potentially a personal vendetta, which has cost his state now potentially 2,000 jobs in a
billion dollar investment. I mean that’s the kind of stuff that Joe Biden does. He cancelled the
Keystone pipeline and other pipelines out of spite. That cost Americans 42,000 jobs. And one
thing he has in common with the president is, he hasn’t spent much time in the private sector,
and I wonder if that influences his thinking on some of this stuff.

Immigration
Fox Business interview, 7/5/23
 Page 4

[0:13] Claman: “Law as migrant workers have begun fleeing the state. What does Cuban-
American Miami mayor and 2024 GOP presidential candidate Francis Suarez have to I say about
this? Fran sid suarez joins me live now on “the claman countdown.” Welcome, a mayor with.
Your father, cave ifier suarez, was born in Cuba and later became mayor of Miami – xavier. You
know immigrants can be great contributors to American society. It is very much a part of why
this country is so great. What do you make of this new law, and what effects are you seeing
already from it?”

Suarez: “Well, as you said, I’m very proud of my father. He got a full scholarship to university,
he got two graduate degrees from Harvard, and he’s written about ninety back toes – books in
at least five pledges, so he is – language, so he is the quince essential American success story.
There’s no doubt that the law is having an adverse impact on maul businesses in our state. Not
too dissimilar from, you know, the fight that the governor had with Disney which is impacting
jobs in our state. Look, I think we’ve got to focus op on real solutions to big problems.”

CBS News interview, 5/21/23

01:26 MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you about what's happening at the state level,
because Florida did just pass, and your Governor Ron DeSantis, signed into law, a new policy as
of February that will make it a felony to knowingly and willfully transport an undocumented
person, even if it's a family member. …”

02:30 BRENNAN: It's also going to require businesses to verify that employees can legally work
in the U.S., it's going to require hospitals to include citizenship questions on intake forms. Is
there going to be an impact on your city? There's concerns about labor shortages, for example.”

SUAREZ: Well, you know, first of all, I think it is already illegal to hire an undocumented worker
in the United States of America. So I'm not sure if that changes much the current law or the
current state of the law. In terms of how it impacts the city of Miami, you know, we have a 1.8%
unemployment rate, which is fantastic. When you want to open up a new business, definitely
we need workers. And I think, you know, this entire debate and discussion screams for a
national solution. And I think that's what we should be focused on as a country, solving this
problem in a way that, you know, it, A, right sizes legal immigration, so that we can have
Americans that want to work and that are working legally.

BRENNAN: Am I hearing you say that some of these state laws are just theater? Because you're
saying a lot of these things don't actually, practically, apply.

SUAREZ: Yeah, I think- I think some of them are headline grabbers without a doubt. And then
some of them—
 Page 5

MSNBC interview, 6/16/23

DIAZ-BALART: So, mayor, let’s talk immigration. Ron DeSantis recently signed a bill targeting
undocumented immigrants in the sunshine state. The law goes into effect on the 1st of July.
What is your plan and your reaction to that?

SUAREZ: My plan is to solve the problem. I think mayors don’t have the luxury of blaming other
people. They don’t have the luxury of in some cases making the problem worse and harder for
small businesses. We have to solve the problem.

Spectrum News interview, 6/28/23

[0:53] The interviewer asked Suarez about DeSantis’ proposal to end birthright citizenship and
he said “none of those things really solve the problem of immigration.”

Abortion

Associated Press article, 6/17/23:

“When it comes to abortion, Suarez indicated to the AP that the limits in the new law in Florida
and other states are much stricter than what he would support as president.

‘Look, I think that the country is not there yet,’ he said of the six-week ban, which is before
many women know they are pregnant.”

Too Negative

The View interview, 6/23/23

[26:25] Navarro points out the Cuban American vote went heavily for Trump and DeSantis and
asks Suarez how he will compete with that. He believes Americans will choose an “agenda of
prosperity” they will choose that over “something negative.”

[34:50] Haines mentions DeSantis’ 6 week abortion ban and Suarez previous comments saying
it’s much stricter than he would support. Suarez says he’s Catholic and pro-life, but understands
his position may not be the dominant position. He says a 15 week ban is more in line with
where the country is at.
 Page 6

Tweets From SOS America PAC

https://twitter.com/sosamericapac/status/1682058282330910723
 Page 7

https://twitter.com/sosamericapac/status/1682035468018520064
 Page 8

https://twitter.com/sosamericapac/status/1680993267461107712
 Page 9

https://twitter.com/sosamericapac/status/1680969936347226112
 Page 10

https://twitter.com/sosamericapac/status/1679490874907021313