Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in a new book calls for politicians to suppress the influence of “woke capital” and activist corporations, in part by “crippling” the socially conscious investing movement known as ESG.
“Both the legislative and executive branches should use their respective authorities to defend individuals against large corporations that are wielding what is effectively public power,” DeSantis wrote in “The Courage to Be Free,” which published Tuesday.
“Reining in Big Tech, enforcing antitrust laws, prohibiting discriminatory job training, and crippling the ESG movement are all ways in which the political branches can protect individual freedom from stridently ideological private actor,” he wrote.
The ESG concept — which is often vague but broadly refers to investing strategies that prioritize environmental, social and governance factors — has increasingly become a target for conservatives aiming to combat powerful actors in the private sector promoting progressive policies.
DeSantis’ book tears into ESG in multiple chapters, while invoking the politically loaded and nebulous term “woke” nearly four dozen times. DeSantis’ focus on ESG suggests the multitrillion-dollar issue could feature prominently in the Republican presidential primary if the governor launches a 2024 White House bid as he is widely expected to do.
After easily winning a second gubernatorial term last year, DeSantis has divulged little about his much-rumored presidential ambitions. But polls nevertheless show him rivaling former President Donald Trump as a top contender for the GOP nomination.
Trump, the most prominent of the small handful of Republicans who have so far announced presidential bids, last week posted a video torching ESG as “radical-left garbage,” vowing to crack down on it if he was elected again.
In the book’s introduction, DeSantis describes the investing trend as “an attempt to impose ruling class ideology on society through publicly traded companies and…
Read the full article here
