Supporters laud him as America's Governor. But does he really belong to the world?

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that people from as far away as Australia are looking to him for hope when it comes to COVID-19 restrictions, with Florida "not just inspiring people from around the country, but around the world."

"How do I know that? Because I have people writing to me from Australia and Canada and some of these places, saying that they're looking to Florida for leadership, and they appreciate that we're actually standing and defending people's rights and liberties," DeSantis said.

Australia has dealt with aggressive lockdowns this summer, especially in major cities, and apparently they've had some time to do some letter writing while sequestered.

DeSantis made the remarks at the Latin Builders Association's 40th Annual Awards Ceremony, marking the second trade show in which he decided, for reasons unclear, to wade into unsolicited critiques of Australia's aggressive approach to COVID-19 mitigation.

"You say, like, 'It can't happen here,'" DeSantis said Tuesday in Tampa.

"You know, you guys, look what's going on in Australia right now. You know, they're enforcing, after a year and a half, they're still enforcing lockdowns by the military," DeSantis said, before posing the question of whether Australia even has the freedoms of a communist country.

"That's not a free country. It's not a free country at all. In fact, I mean, I wonder why we would still have the same diplomatic relations when they're doing that. Is Australia freer than China, communist China, right now? I don't know. The fact that that's even a question tells you something has gone dramatically off the rails with some of this stuff," DeSantis said then.

Worth watching: While the Australia verbiage was pre-established Tuesday, the introduction of Canada to the routine was new for Friday's remarks.