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Gov. Ron DeSantis signs copies of new book at sold-out event in West Palm Beach

Book signing held at Palm Beach County Convention Center
'The Courage to Be Free' Ron DeSantis book on display, Feb. 28, 2023
Posted at 5:27 PM, Mar 01, 2023
and last updated 2023-03-02 08:40:45-05

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis made a stop Wednesday in West Palm Beach, where he spoke with supporters and touted his newly released book.

The sold-out event was closed to the media at the Palm Beach Convention Center but was well-attended by voters pushing him to run for the White House.

Those in the audience said the governor was joined by his wife, Casey DeSantis, on stage, where he talked about his record and his blueprint for what he described as Florida's success story.

"The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival" was released Tuesday amid much fanfare as the Republican governor seemingly mounts his presidential candidacy.

During a stop earlier in Miami-Dade County, the governor boasted his book sales.

"It's great to be back in Miami and great to have the No. 1 book on Amazon right here," DeSantis told supporters at the Fire Tower in Doral.

The 256-page memoir discusses his upbringing, service in the military, his track record over the past four years and taking on Disney.

Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks with supporters in Doral about new book, March 1, 2023
Gov. Ron DeSantis touts his new book, "The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival," in front of supporters, March 1, 2023, at the Fire Tower in Doral, Fla.

All of this news is coming from what political analysts call a clear campaign trail that's now headed for the White House, although those who attended said there was no mention of running for president.

"I think he has definitively done something," Yasmine Nanavati, who attended the event in West Palm Beach with her husband, told WPTV. "It's not just saying we will do this and we will do that, like all politicians mostly say."

As DeSantis signed books just miles away from President Donald Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago, not everyone was happy about it.

Some supporters of President Donald Trump took to social media to complain that they were not allowed at DeSantis' book signing in Leesburg.

A Yahoo poll released Wednesday shows 47% of registered Republicans and Republican-leaning independents said they would vote for Trump in their state's primary and 39% back DeSantis.

"If either one was running by themselves, I wouldn't have any question, but comparing the two, I'll wait another year," Harit Nanavati said.

The governor is expected to make several more stops throughout Florida, including one Thursday in Jacksonville, followed by additional stops across the country.