Daniel Penny, the 24-year-old former U.S. Marine, spoke out for the first time since he put Jordan Neely in a chokehold on a New York City subway at the start of the month, which later resulted in Neely’s death.

Penny, who was charged with second degree manslaughter and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, told the New York Post that the incident had nothing to do with race.

Penny placed Neely, a homeless man with over 40 arrests and a history of mental health issues, in a chokehold after Neely embarked on an aggressive rant and began screaming that he did not care if he went to jail.

“This had nothing to do with race,” he said. “I judge a person based on their character. I’m not a white supremacist. I mean, it’s, it’s a little bit comical. Everybody who’s ever met me can tell you, I love all people, I love all cultures. You can tell by my past and all my travels and adventures around the world. I was actually planning a road trip through Africa before this happened.”

Penny said he would not go into details of what happened because of his pending case, but said that the incident was unlike “anything I’d experienced before.”

“This was different, this time was much different,” Penny said. “This time was very different.”

Penny said that he was on his way to go swimming at the gym and that he was taking the subway because he loves public transportation.

When asked what he would say to Neely’s family, Penny said, “I’m deeply saddened by the loss of life. It’s tragic what happened to him. Hopefully, we can change the system that’s so desperately failed us.”

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When asked if he would do it again, he nodded his head, according to the Post.

“You know, I live an authentic and genuine life,” Penny said. “And I would — if there was a threat and danger in the present.”

Penny said he has not followed much of the backlash and he didn’t even know who some of the major left-wing advocates were who were demonizing him because he gave up social media years ago.

“I don’t follow anyone, and I don’t have social media because I really don’t like the attention and I just think there are better ways to spend your time,” he said. “I don’t like the limelight.”

Related: DeSantis Promotes Fundraiser For Marine Veteran Daniel Penny: ‘We Must Defeat The Soros-Funded DAs’

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis traveled to New Hampshire late this week where he met with voters, state lawmakers, and the state’s governor just days ahead of his anticipated announcement that he will be running for president in 2024.

The Washington Post reported that New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu said after an hour-long meeting with DeSantis that the two had “a great relationship.” Sununu, who is rumored to be contemplating a long-shot bid for the White House, has taken shots at former President Donald Trump, saying that Trump “is positioning himself to be a four-time loser in 2024.”

DeSantis met with voters at the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester where he was very well received by many who thanked him for what he has accomplished in Florida.

DeSantis, 44, focused on talking to voters in the Granite State about economic and family issues like school choice, tax cuts, crime, and inflation, The New York Times reported.

DeSantis told donors during a call earlier this week that he believes he is the only Republican who can beat Trump and who can beat Biden.

“You have basically three people at this point that are credible in this whole thing,” DeSantis said. “Biden, Trump and me. And I think of those three, two have a chance to get elected president — Biden and me, based on all the data in the swing states.”

DeSantis has been busy racking up large lists of endorsements in recent days, including 37 state lawmakers in Iowa, approximately 50 state lawmakers in New Hampshire, and 99 out of 113 Republicans in the Florida state legislature.

DeSantis held a roundtable discussion in Bedford with many of the Republican lawmakers who are backing him instead of the former president where he spoke about a variety of issues and many of the victories that he has achieved as governor of Florida.

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“These fights are not easy,” DeSantis said. “I think when you look, there’s a reason why things have gotten crazy in this country, because there’s a lot of powerful people that want it to be, a lot of institutions push that direction. When you kind of step out and you speak truth, you get a lot of blowback for that, but I think what I found in Florida is no governor ever received more incoming, I would say in modern history, than me, during my first term, particularly with COVID, but it really went on after that, a lot of narratives generated.”