DeSantis Policies in Florida Reminiscent of Communism, Historian Says

Ron DeSantis' administration in Florida has been compared to "communism" by a leading historian, who argued "book bans" and "the singling out of authors" are examples of communist-style authoritarian practices by the governor.

The comments were made on Wednesday by Timothy Snyder, a professor of history at Yale University, during an appearance on an MSNBC show hosted by Ali Velshi.

DeSantis has attracted controversy for policies pursued as part of his "war on woke," such as ordering a review of materials in school libraries, which critics called a "book ban." Many conservatives argue such policies are necessary to combat what DeSantis called the "the far-left woke agenda" in schools, while liberals claim they undermine free expression.

Governor Ron DeSantis (L) gives a briefing regarding Hurricane Dorian to the media at National Hurricane Center on August 29, 2019, in Miami, Florida, and a painting of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin (R). A prominent historian has compared the DeSantis administration in Florida to "communism." Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images

Speaking on MSNBC, Professor Snyder said: "When I look at Florida what I think about is communism. The book bans, and the public gatherings, and the singling out of authors, and the denunciations.

"Like it's funny, all of this stuff is supposed to be anti-communist, but as a historian of communism, that reminds me of some of the basic things that were wrong about communism. Those denunciations and book bannings and getting people all rallied up about authors that are supposedly contaminating other people."

Since becoming governor in 2019, DeSantis has angered progressives with a number of policies, turning him into one of America's most prominent conservatives, with polling showing he is the second choice of Republican voters to be the party's 2024 presidential candidate, after Donald Trump.

DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education legislation, dubbed the "Don't Say Gay Bill" by critics, into law in March 2022. The legislation bans the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida's schools, up until the fourth grade. Earlier this month, the DeSantis administration introduced proposals that would extend this law to all school grades.

When contacted for comment, DeSantis' office referred Newsweek to a press conference on "The Book Ban Hoax" hosted by the governor, in which he described the claim that Florida had a "book ban" as a "nasty hoax...in service of trying to pollute and sexualize our children."

Snyder also hit out at president Trump, after Velshi noted he had told his supporters: "I am your retribution," and suggested this was "the language of autocracy."

The historian said: "It's also the language of fascism. Living in a 'Big Lie' is being a fascist.

"Saying that I have an alternative truth for you, an alternative reality where you can live, saying that politics is all about naming the enemy and taking revenge, that is basically a fascist reality that we're talking about and I think one of the things that people who care about democracy need to be able to do is to remember some of the legacies of the 20th century."

During the interview Snyder suggested recent U.S. political turbulence, such as the storming of Congress on January 6, 2021 by Trump supporters, makes both allies and adversaries conclude America has become unstable.

He said: "We could have a second coup attempt in two presidential elections. People look at that, concerned about democracy or not, and say that makes that system unpredictable so that's one more reason why we have to have our house in order."

Newsweek has approached Donald Trump using his official website.

Update 3/31/23 4:35 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with the response of DeSantis' office to Newsweek's request for comment.