DeSantis calls for reining in Big Tech, enforcing antitrust laws, and banning discriminatory job trainings

In a new book, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis argues that politicians need to curb the influence of "woke capital" and activist corporations, partly by crippling the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) movement.

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“Legislation and executive power should work together to protect individuals against large corporations who wield what amounts to public power,” the governor wrote in “The Courage to Be Free,” released Tuesday.

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“The political branches can protect individual freedom by reining in Big Tech, enforcing antitrust laws, prohibiting discriminatory job training, and crippling the ESG movement,” he wrote.

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Conservatives have increasingly targeted the concept of environmental, social, and governance factors as a way to combat powerful actors in the private sector that advocate progressive policies - even though it is often vague but broadly refers to investing strategies that prioritize these factors.

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Many chapters of DeSantis' book attack ESG, repeatedly referring to "woke" as a politically loaded and nebulous term. Whenever Governor DeSantis launches a presidential bid in 2024, the multitrillion-dollar issue is expected to figure prominently in the GOP primary.

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He has said little about his long-rumored presidential ambitions since winning a second term as governor last year. In polls, however, he is seen as a close rival to former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination.

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Among the handful of Republicans who have announced presidential bids, Trump last week trashed the ESG as "radical-left garbage," vowing to fight it if reelected.

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By focusing on publicly traded companies and asset management, DeSantis describes investing trends as an attempt to impose ruling class ideology on society.

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"The ruling class" co-opted by "woke" ideology is gearing up to "achieve through the economy what they couldn't through the ballot box," according to DeSantis.

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In the following paragraphs, he offers examples of how ESG is used by CEOs to target issues like reducing fossil fuel use and restricting the right to bear arms.

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In the book, DeSantis argues that ESG exerts a pernicious influence on society.

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Continuing, he criticizes corporations that use their power to voice their opinions on issues not directly relevant to their businesses. The author acknowledged that they have the right to do so, but noted that "market-based economies are not healthy when they become extensions of political factionalism."

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Awoke ideology is not a condition of employment, he said, and employees have the right to be free from it. Even after acknowledging that businesses are allowed to promote any "fad," DeSantis asserted that "free speech does not include the right to indoctrinate."

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According to him, "ESG activism that forces a nation to alter its energy posture represents extraconstitutional action."

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It is insufficient to allow woke capital and Big Tech to run amok without accountability, DeSantis writes in his book.

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Former Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has previously weighed in on ESG, which he has waged in thorny culture wars and wielded against his political foes on the left. His August resolution, for instance, forbids Florida's state pension fund managers from considering environmental, social, and governance factors when making investments.

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In his book, DeSantis also discusses his battles with Disney, whose Disney World park in Orlando has long been a major source of revenue for Florida.

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He advised Disney's then-CEO Bob Chapek to stay out of disagreements over legislation called the "Don't Say Gay" bill by critics. Ultimately, Disney opposed the bill and pledged to help repeal it.

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Disney has long been able to self-govern this area under the special self-governance powers granted to it by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

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On Capitol Hill, ESG will continue to be a contentious issue regardless of whether DeSantis makes it a priority in his campaign. A Trump-era rule that restricted ESG funds from being used in 401(k) plans was loosened last year by President Joe Biden, and on Monday his administration spoke out against a GOP-drafted House resolution criticizing the rule.

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The former vice president of Trump, who may run for the GOP nomination, vowed earlier Tuesday to “end ESG once and for all! ”

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