The four years between President Donald Trump’s first and second terms were marked by extraordinary political change in Florida.
In January 2021, President Joe Biden entered the White House with Florida ostensibly still on the map of battleground states. Republicans held power in Tallahassee with simple majorities in the state House and Senate.
Republican state officials have been openly hostile to President Biden, confronting the federal government over immigration policy, health care, the coronavirus vaccine and many other issues.
Voters supported the state’s conservative direction but disapproved of the Democratic Party’s vision for the country. By 2024, Florida will have a Republican supermajority in Congress, with voters giving Trump a 13-point lead.
With Trump set to take back the presidency on Monday, MAGA politics in Washington will once again align with Tallahassee.
“Over the next four years, there will be an even higher level of cooperation between the state and federal governments,” said Republican Congresswoman Laurel Lee, who represents a congressional district that covers parts of Hillsborough, Polk and Pasco counties. Deaf,” he said.
But what does a second Trump administration mean for Florida? The returning president has already signaled he intends to make big moves that could have a huge impact on the Sunshine State. .
Here are four key areas to focus on.
immigration
As a candidate, Trump vowed to enact “the largest deportation program in American history.”
Florida has one of the highest numbers of immigrants living in the country illegally.
Gov. Ron DeSantis this week announced plans for a special legislative session to pass a state law that would require local officials to participate in deportations under suspension. DeSantis also wants the Legislature to create a statewide immigration official to oversee coordination between the state and the federal government.
“We must seize the opportunity to work with the new Trump administration to seriously address and end the illegal immigration crisis,” DeSantis wrote on X on Wednesday.
This cooperation stands in contrast to how state and federal governments have handled immigration issues under the Biden administration. Mr. DeSantis has regularly criticized the surge in traffic at the U.S. southern border under Mr. Biden’s watch. He sent state law enforcement to assist federal agents in apprehending thousands of immigrants at the border.
In 2022, the governor made national news for his effort to use state tax dollars to airlift immigrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. (Some immigrants said they were convinced to board the plane under false pretenses, but DeSantis’ office denied that claim.)
DeSantis won’t have to go his own way on immigration because the federal government supports the same approach he does on border issues.
health care
Health care is another area where Republicans in Tallahassee have repeatedly clashed with the Biden administration.
Federal officials are encouraging Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19, while DeSantis’ Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo warns of the dangers of the vaccine. Mr. DeSantis advocated for a state grand jury investigation into vaccine manufacturers. (The investigation concluded earlier this month and no charges were filed.)
An impasse has developed over prescription drug shipments from Canada. Florida officials applied to import the drug, and Biden administration officials considered the proposal for years before finally approving it in January. As of November, state officials had not activated the program.
The DeSantis and Biden administrations also battled over access to KidCare, a joint state and federal program that provides discounted medical care to children from families with a little too much money to qualify for traditional Medicaid.
In 2024, the Biden administration finalized a rule requiring states to keep children enrolled in KidCare even if families can’t pay premiums. Florida officials have challenged the rule in an ongoing lawsuit. It is unclear how the incoming Trump administration will address the child care dispute.
But in general, the Trump administration is expected to take a more Republican approach to health care.
For example, former Congressman Matt Gaetz, who is close to the president-elect, said he expects the federal government to recognize work requirements for Medicaid, a long-standing policy goal of conservatives. (Opponents of work requirements argue that such policies are unnecessary because most Floridians who receive Medicaid are already working or are too sick or disabled to work. )
Generally, Gaetz said, if President Trump likes Florida’s proposal, he could prioritize the state’s policy requests to his administration.
“When the president tells us to do something, it’s like cutting through butter with a hot knife,” Gates said.
environment
When Biden left office, he issued a series of environmental orders that have been criticized by Republicans. He moved to ban offshore drilling in more than 625 million acres of coastal waters. President Trump has promised to lift that ban.
The Biden administration also moved to limit red snapper fishing in waters near Florida, a move that drew the ire of Mr. DeSantis. Trump could also overturn the proposed rule.
In general, Mr. DeSantis has urged Mr. Trump to give the federal government more freedom to manage environmental projects. In particular, he wants the state to take charge of important Everglades restoration projects. DeSantis said such work would be more efficient if it could be done without too much bureaucratic red tape.
“We want to send the money, give them the authority, and let them get to work,” DeSantis said at a news conference earlier this month.
Some environmentalists say it’s a bad idea because the federal government needs to strictly oversee such projects. But it’s possible that Mr. Trump will delegate authority for environmental projects to friendly governors like Mr. DeSantis.
political questions remain
DeSantis was a key ally during Trump’s first term as president. This time it’s more complicated.
Mr. DeSantis is challenging Mr. Trump in the 2024 presidential election, and Mr. Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is Mr. DeSantis’s enemy. Wiles once worked for DeSantis, but his ouster from his orbit in 2019 left bruised egos on both sides.
It is by no means certain that the Trump administration and state officials will remain aligned on all policy areas.
For example, billionaire and Trump supporter Elon Musk defends companies that use H-1B visas to hire skilled immigrant workers. DeSantis said there are “huge problems” with the program.
It is unclear where President Trump will respond on this issue.
However, there are signs that the relationship between Trump and DeSantis is strengthening. After Mr. DeSantis called for a special legislative session later this month on immigration and other issues, Republican state leaders quickly criticized the idea, calling such a call “premature,” in a letter. argued inside.
But Trump praised DeSantis for convening the session. It begins on January 27, one week after Inauguration Day.
