DeSantis shouts down heckler at South Carolina rally

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) shouted down a heckler who called him a “fascist” at a presidential campaign rally in South Carolina on Friday.

As DeSantis talked about parents’ rights in education, a woman in the crowd in Lexington, S.C., shouted, “What about the parents’ rights to health care, to their kids’ health care? You’re a f—— fascist.”

“Yeah, well, thank you, thank you,” DeSantis responded as the crowd booed the heckler. “We’re not gonna let you impose an agenda on our kids. We’re gonna stand up for our kids. We’re gonna make sure to do it right.”

“Those people like that in Florida are the people we beat every single day on policy,” he added. “We do not let them win. We win all these battles. We’re not letting them indoctrinate our kids, not on our watch.”

The heckler’s jab appeared to be aimed at legislation DeSantis recently signed barring transgender children in the state from receiving gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers and sex-reassignment surgeries.

The incident comes amid DeSantis’s four-day campaign swing through several key early voting states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

He plans to return to Iowa on Saturday for Sen. Joni Ernst’s (R-Iowa) annual Roast and Ride fundraiser.