DeSantis tells Trump to ‘fight’, takes aim at science and has beef with John Roberts

TALLAHASSEE – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told a private meeting of political donors and business leaders on Thursday that he urged President Donald Trump to “fight” to overturn the November election results.

In sweeping remarks made in person behind closed doors at an Associated Industries meeting in Florida, DeSantis dismissed the risks of the coronavirus, contradicted science, and targeted the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, John Roberts. He also defended Trump’s attempt to fight the election results.

“I told the president to keep fighting,” DeSantis told the group gathered at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, according to a recording of the speech obtained by POLITICO. “In reality, none of this has succeeded yet. Hurry up. “

DeSantis, a Republican, has been one of Trump’s most staunch allies. Days after the election, during an appearance on Fox News, he suggested that Republican-controlled legislatures in Pennsylvania and Michigan should reverse the results in those states. He has said little about the election since.

On Thursday, however, the governor predicted that the “crazy stuff” Democrats wanted would be “dead on arrival” in Congress given the party’s slim majority in the House and the prospect of Republicans retaining control of the Senate afterwards. a second round in Georgia. vote in January.

Given the likelihood of a congressional stalemate, DeSantis predicted that President-elect Joe Biden will use executive orders to carry out his agenda items, including on climate change, an issue that DeSantis says , was not a major problem for voters. Republican attorneys general will fight these orders in court, he said.

The Republican strategy will be similar to what Democrats did to Trump, whose executive orders were challenged in an effort to “delay, delay, delay” his agenda for months and years, DeSantis said. But Biden will be forced to plead his case before the federal judges that Trump has put on the bench.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of battles in the courts over the extent of executive power,” DeSantis said.

He also denounced the “crazy rulings” of Roberts, who was appointed to the Supreme Court by George W. Bush in 2001. Without providing details, DeSantis said some opinions would be used by the “other side”.

DeSantis defended his response to the coronavirus pandemic, during which he resisted the imposition of state-level restrictions on gatherings and wearing masks. Florida has reported more than one million cases this week.

“We have, I think, really saved the livelihoods of millions and millions of students, parents, workers, business owners by approaching this in an evidence-based and focused manner. on the facts and not on the fear, and in a way that was more moderate, ”DeSantis said.

He said Florida’s unemployment rate – currently 6.5% – is not expected to drop much more until travel starts again from other parts of the country and the world.

DeSantis also took photos to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for his “ridiculous” studies of the Covid-19 epidemic, which he said were more aimed at “asserting” the positions of “bureaucrats” than science.

He questioned the need for the contract tracing, saying most people were infected in their homes or that medical authorities could not determine the source of the infections.

People can participate in most outdoor activities, including sports, because the virus does not spread during such events, DeSantis told the group. He insisted that Trump’s huge rallies did not contribute to the spread of Covid-19, countering a Stanford University study released in late October that traces 30,000 cases and hundreds of deaths at Trump rallies .

Loyalty to Trump helped propel DeSantis to victory in 2018. DeSantis himself is evaluating a 2024 presidential bid, but Trump tells his supporters he could run again.

DeSantis is one of a handful of 2024 contenders invited by Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel to the party’s winter meeting in January in Amelia Island, Florida. McDaniel is trying to establish some independence from Trump as he prepares to leave the White House.

Matt Dixon contributed to this story.