Business Insider
Ron DeSantis keeps talking about blowing up The Bahamas
Kenneth Niemeyer – December 31, 2023
- Ron DeSantis keeps saying the US would “flatten” The Bahamas if it attacked Fort Lauderdale.
- DeSantis’ comments on the campaign trail were a comparison to the Israel-Hamas war.
- The US Embassy in Nassau said the US has a “strong mutual security relationship” with The Bahamas.
Ron DeSantis keeps saying it would be easy to blow up The Bahamas, prompting the US Embassy in Nassau to clarify that his comments do not reflect official policy.
DeSantis, a 2024 presidential candidate, took a campaign trip to New Hampshire on Saturday, where he has trailed in the polls behind Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, and former President Donald Trump, WMUR, a local ABC affiliate, reported.
The Florida governor once again said during the stop that the US would “flatten” The Bahamas if anyone were to ever fire missiles from there into his state, not that there is any indication that anyone would do that, Florida Politics reported.
“If someone was firing missiles from The Bahamas into, like, Fort Lauderdale, we would never accept that. We would flatten. Anything that happened, it would be done like literally within 12 hours, it would be done,” DeSantis said during a speech to supporters, according to Florida Politics.
DeSantis’ office did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider on Sunday.
He has made this claim a talking point in several of his campaign stops since early November, comparing the war between Israel and Hamas to his hypothetical situation, The Miami Times reported.
On November 13, the US Embassy in Nassau told The Nassau Guardian that it “regrets” DeSantis’ comments may have portrayed “anything other than a close relationship” between The Bahamas and the United States.
“The Bahamas and the United States enjoy an enduring and unique partnership,” the embassy said in a statement.
“The USS Leyte Gulf, a US Navy cruiser currently in the Nassau Harbor, illustrates our strong mutual security relationship,” the statement continued. “We have been allies and friends for 50 years and are looking forward to the next 50.”