Hakeem Jeffries

ORMOND BEACH − Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis started an April 30 news conference announcing a local infrastructure project with a Donald Trump-like deviation.

DeSantis launched into an impression of U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, waving his finger and mimicking his baritone voice after the two had tangled over Florida's new congressional map.

"He goes out there, and he's like, 'We gon' do maximum warfare against Republicans. Florida Republicans, you F around, you gonna find out all this stuff. ... If you do your redistricting, we're gonna take out all your members,'" DeSantis said. "And what I said was, 'Go ahead, make my day.'"

The friendly audience gathered for the groundbreaking of an infrastructure project in Ormond Beach laughed and applauded.

War of words over Florida's congressional redistricting plan

The two have been at odds for several days over Florida's redistricting plan, approved by the Legislature the day before. DeSantis − a Republican who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2024 and is considered a potential GOP contender in 2028 − said he intends to sign the new congressional map into law as soon as he gets the bill from lawmakers.

The map gives Republicans an advantage in four more of Florida's 28 congressional districts. GOP House members hold 20 of those Florida seats. Jeffries has criticized DeSantis for "partisan gerrymandering" the map.

"What is the reason that in the middle of the decade, Ron DeSantis has come forward with a map that is designed by his own description to add four additional Republican-leaning seats? It is blatantly unconstitutional," Jeffries said at an April 27 news conference.

Jeffries, who started serving in Congress the same year as DeSantis, 2013, has called DeSantis "charismatically challenged" and a "lame-duck governor."

Jeffries pledged to spend $20 million from the House Majority PAC on Democrats running for Florida seats.

DeSantis says Florida Republicans won't 'flinch'

DeSantis dared Jeffries to "spend money" in Florida, which has transformed from a state that backed Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 to one where Republicans enjoy a 1.5-million-voter registration advantage over Democrats.

"Roll the dice and take your chances," DeSantis said. "But don't think that you can come down here and issue threats to us, and somehow you're going to make us flinch."

Critics have said violates the voter-approved 2010 constitutional amendment and will be challenged in court.

Jeffries' comments helped push some Republican lawmakers to support the redistricting plan, DeSantis said.

"As soon as he came out and started doing that last week, the Florida Legislature turned around and they passed the new (map)," DeSantis said.

President Donald Trump has called for Republican-leaning states to take the unusual step of mid-decade redistricting to give his party a better shot at controlling Congress after the midterm elections in November. While Texas and Florida are among the GOP-controlled states that have complied, blue states led by California and Virginia have counter-acted the move by making maps more favorable for Democratic candidates.