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- Jen Psaki called Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday about his handling of COVID-19 in Florida.
- “Our war is not against DeSantis – it is against the virus, which we are trying to neutralize,” she said.
- DeSantis signed an ordinance banning the implementation of mask warrants in Florida schools.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday called GOP Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida for his handling of COVID-19 in the Sunshine State, saying he “doesn’t appear to want to participate” in the fight against the virus.
During a press briefing, Psaki was asked about a recent New York Post opinion piece titled “Team Biden’s War on DeSantis Consists of Bringing a Successful GOP Governor to Their Knees,” which credited DeSantis for rejecting the blockages related to COVID and restrictive measures taken in other states during the pandemic last year.
The press secretary was firm in the administration’s view of DeSantis, which just weeks ago was working closely with the president in efforts to recover from the South Surfside condo collapse. from Florida.
“Our war is not against DeSantis – it is against the virus, which we are trying to bring to its knees, and he does not seem to want to participate in this effort to bring the virus to its knees, hence our concern,” said she declared.
—CSPAN (@cspan) August 11, 2021
DeSantis, former congressman and potential 2024 GOP presidential candidate, pursued COVID-19 policies that have endeared him to conservatives, opening up Florida’s economy earlier than many other states last year , reopening schools when many districts across the country opted for full remote learning and rejecting any sort of lockdown that could possibly come from the Democrat-led Biden administration.
Read more: How Jen Psaki Can Benefit From Her White House Experience
In recent weeks, DeSantis has clashed with Biden’s White House.
Earlier this month, Biden called on Florida and Texas for not doing enough to tackle the high wave of infections caused by the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.
“Some governors are unwilling to do the right things to make this happen,” Biden said at the time. “I say to these governors, please help. If you are not going to help, at least stay away from the people who are trying to do the right thing. Use your power to save lives.”
When asked about DeSantis and Governor Greg Abbott of Texas that day, the President said “their decisions are not good for their constituents”.
In late July, DeSantis signed an executive order banning schools from requiring masks, and Abbott signed an executive order that prevents local governments and state agencies from making vaccines mandatory.
DeSantis blasted Biden’s comments, accusing the president of trying to “dissociate Florida from COVID.”
Just this week, DeSantis pledged to withhold salaries from school board members who flouted its ban on mask warrants, with a Broward County school official even telling the governor to “bring it” despite his threatens.
In an interview Tuesday on “CBS This Morning,” Former US surgeon general Jerome Adams, who served under former President Donald Trump, has criticized the push to ban school mask terms.
“As a father, I frankly think that’s unacceptable,” Adams said. “You can’t tie the hands of school and public health officials based on what you perceive to be reality when your public health officials tell you they need these tools.”
Read more: 11 problematic people and issues that could torpedo Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ ascent to a 2024 presidential election
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