Ron DeSantis calls on next president to 'clean house' in DC: Elite won't 'voluntarily give up' power

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spelled out his plans to change the nation's trajectory if he takes the White House in 2024, urging that the next person to hold the high office needs to "clean house" to reverse the effects of Biden's presidency.

"You… have to bring this administrative state to heel," he told "Sunday Morning Futures" host Maria Bartiromo. 

"The bureaucracy in Washington is totally out of control. It's exerting power that is not there for it under the Constitution. We need a president to come in and really, really clean house, and I will do that on day one."

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As one of the GOP's top contenders looking ahead to 2024, DeSantis discussed several key influences driving his campaign, including the shortcomings of Bidenomics, the weaponization of government, weakness toward China and the push in Florida to mobilize "mama bears" to help revamp the current state of education.

"[Bidenomics] means you pay more for everything, your standard of living declines, you have less freedom, but the government has much more power, and they want to wield that power over the economy to advance a very liberal political agenda," he said. "You also see how this breeds corruption because you've got to bend the knee to be able to qualify for all these different programs. It really empowers corporations who want to side with the regime."

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With just 45 days remaining to the first GOP primary debate, DeSantis took aim at former President Donald Trump, who remains the frontrunner leading the ever-growing field and, as recent polls indicate, the sole person standing in DeSantis' way of snatching the nomination.

Though his campaign to topple the former president has stalled, with his poll numbers hovering around 20% as Trump's stay at over double near 55% - a resounding lead partially credited to support for Trump in the face of what many Republicans view as bureaucratic weaponization - DeSantis argued he can tackle the issue of government persecution even better.

Conservative groups, in ways that echo Trump, allege they have come under scrutiny of government agencies for their political beliefs, arguing that Democratic officials are undermining free speech.

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"If you're connected to the D.C. ruling class, you're able to get away with conduct that the average American won't. What we have is these institutions have been captured by one particular faction of our society, and they wield power against other factions they don't like," DeSantis said. "If you're a pro-life activist, you may have FBI agents swarm your house, even though you said that you would surrender voluntarily, and so people see that over and over again."

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The 2024 hopeful said the next president needs to stay focused on preserving individual liberties, including freedom from political weaponization.

"You can't get distracted on this. These people are not going to voluntarily give up the power that they've accumulated over many decades of neglect… we've got to get it done this time, because if we don't get it done this time, it's not going to happen."