Rick Scott Breaks Ranks and Releases ‘Rescue’ America Agenda, Including Naming Southern Border Wall After Donald Trump

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Florida Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) released an 11-point agenda on Tuesday, outlining his vision for the U.S. – a rare move for a Republican on the national stage in recent years.

In what Politico dubbed a “bold move,” the first-term senator detailed a plan that combines classic Republican positions like limiting the size of the federal government and enacting voter ID laws, with more pro-Trump, MAGA-world initiatives like “finish the border wall and name it after President Donald Trump.”

Scott released his plan in a 31-page document that struck a somber tone and declared “the hour is late for America.” By releasing his won agenda, Scott, who is also the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee this cycle, broke with Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell who has been explicit about not releasing a legislative agenda to run on in the 2022 midterm elections.

The GOP also did not release a new platform during the 2020 presidential election, instead opting to adopt the 2016 platform during the Republican National Convention.

The first item on Scott’s agenda is telling, as he clearly looks to seize on what many pundits and observers believe was the winning issue that helped Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) pull off a major upset in the 2021 Virginia governor’s race: critical race theory and masks in schools.

“Our kids will say the pledge of allegiance, salute the Flag, learn that America is a great country, and choose the school that best fits them,” reads Scott’s first point. “We will inspire patriotism and stop teaching the revisionist history of the radical left; our kids will learn about the wisdom of the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the founding fathers. Public schools will focus on the 3 R’s, not indoctrinate children with critical race theory or any other political ideology,” the agenda concludes, taking a direct swipe at critical race theory.

The rest of the items range from declaring “We are going to eliminate racial politics in America” to insisting “there are two genders.”

Politico notes that while Scott “comes across as soft-spoken and low-key in person, Scott has thrown himself with zeal into GOP controversy.” Scott’s willingness to lean hard into MAGA-world culture war and having officially released an agenda may foreshadow an eventual challenge to McConnell’s leadership – something former President Donald Trump has been calling for outright for many months.