Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Addresses Notre Dame Audience

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis delivered a speech at the University of Notre Dame on November 7, 2026, examining conservative leadership, constitutional principles, and the direction of modern Republican governance.

The address, titled “Conservative Leadership on the Eve of America’s Semiquincentennial,” took place in DeBartolo Hall before a campus audience. Notre Dame’s Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government hosted the event.

The November 7 address was broadcast live through NTD Television’s NTD+ digital streaming platform.

DeSantis Addresses Notre Dame Audience

Speaking within the university’s academic program on citizenship and constitutional government, DeSantis drew on his experience leading Florida to discuss how conservative principles translate into executive decisions.

His remarks addressed state-level economic initiatives, individual civil liberties, and institutional oversight. These themes connected his approach to governing Florida with broader questions about the responsibilities and limits of executive authority.

DeSantis questioned how conservatives should define their political principles beyond online messaging and earlier Republican platforms.

DeSantis Questions Modern Conservative Identity

“What does conservatism even mean now?” DeSantis asked the audience, raising a central question about the political movement’s ideological direction.

He argued that conservatism should not be reduced to “internet clickbait” or “Ronald Reagan’s 1980 platform, repackaged”.

Drawing on his Florida administration, DeSantis emphasized economic management, individual liberties, and institutional oversight as practical elements of conservative governance.

The lecture’s semiquincentennial theme connected the debate over conservative identity with the approaching 250th anniversary of American independence.