Ron DeSantis has made a habit of telling supporters to “put on the full armor of God” and fight the left in campaign appearances, particularly in front of religious crowds.
Now the trope is apparently part of Madison DeSantis’ homework assignments, if the First Couple is to be believed.
“So when people ask me about, hey, what do you recommend in terms of leadership? What should people think about it? I think there’s a lot of things but what I tell people first put on the full armor of God,” the Governor said Saturday in Iowa, during an event held by Rep. Randy Feenstra.
First Lady Casey DeSantis chimed in thereafter, noting the First Couple’s “daughter the other day had a homework assignment and it was to memorize Ephesians 6:10 through 6:18. And I don’t think that that was a coincidence because he invokes putting on the full armor of God, the belt of truth and the shield of faith.”
For those behind on their catechism, here is the full passage.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
The Governor has invoked the “full armor of God” trope in numerous circumstances, including an improbable response to former President Donald Trump calling him “Ron DeSanctimonious.”
“Look to Ephesians Chapter Six: You want to exercise leadership in the face of this type of fire, put on the full armor of God. That’s what you need to do, to stand strong and to do what’s right. And when you do that, none of this stuff ends up being effective,” DeSantis said last month before ridiculing Trump’s nickname for him.
Usually, it’s a more general call to arms for the faithful.
“Some people ask me, how do you become a good leader? Well, one of the first things you need to do is put on the full armor of God,” DeSantis said in September at the Pray, Vote, Stand summit.
DeSantis has used the phrase before, including at the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference, at the 2023 Faith and Freedom Coalition’s “Road to Majority” conference, and it was especially potent here in a speech that promised attendees they would “have a seat at the table” under a DeSantis administration determined to “defend religious freedom.”
“It seems at times that there’s nothing sacred anymore and that the virtues we all celebrated even a short time ago are now being tossed aside,” DeSantis said. “I believe that reviving the spirit of America is essential to helping reverse America’s decline. And this revival is going to begin in our religious institutions, our places of work, each of our households, all the institutions that make up the bedrock of society.”
Also, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez has gotten in on the act, during a recent prayer call with pastors on behalf of the DeSantis campaign.
Nuñez said that many of those on the call “lament what we’re seeing in society,” adding that’s why a “strong leader” like the Governor is needed to “fight the fight.”
“He will put on the full armor of God,” she assured supporters.
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