Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has refused President Biden’s request for the state to send National Guards to Washington, D.C. for the State of the Union.

The Washington Examiner reports:

“Last week, the Biden Administration requested the assistance of State National Guards to deploy to Washington D.C. I have rejected this request — there will be no [Florida National Guard] sent to D.C. for Biden’s State of the Union,” the Republican said in a tweet Monday, one day before the big speech.

Christina Pushaw, DeSantis’s press secretary, further told the Washington Examiner that the federal government sent the request to all states “to prepare for anticipated ‘First Amendment protests'” coinciding with Biden’s address Tuesday. The National Guard “should never be misused for political purposes,” she added.

“Last year, when the National Guard deployed to D.C. around the inauguration, they were forced to sleep in freezing parking lots, all for a regime spectacle,” Pushaw said. “Our dedicated, patriotic service members deserve better.”

Preparations for heightened security for the State of the Union event have been in the works in the nation’s capital for weeks ahead of an expected trucker convoy protest against COVID-1`9 rules, similar to the demonstrations in Canada in recent weeks. The Capitol was the site of a riot on Jan. 6 of last year that disrupted the process of certifying Biden’s 2020 election victory.

During his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, DeSantis noted President Biden’s repeated verbal attacks against the conservative over his different approach to Covid-19. The Sunshine State removed its mandates months ago, a move that Biden claimed would be detrimental yet was actually a major success.

The Florida Governor is seen as a possible 2024 presidential contender and came in second place in the CPAC straw poll. However, DeSantis has remained tight-lipped over 2024 speculations and has remained focused on Florida and winning a second term as governor.