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ORLANDO, Florida – High-profile speakers at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday and Saturday denounced New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and US epidemiologist Anthony Fauci, strongly criticizing their handling of the pandemic.
They compared the way Cuomo and Fauci approached the pandemic to how Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did. DeSantis has been one of the most wary of governors of lockdowns and restrictions linked to the pandemic, while Cuomo and Fauci have advocated for more restrictions to stem the spread of the virus that has killed more than 500,000 Americans. .
“You know, Governor, some of your coworkers get Emmies for doing something,” Conservative Union America President Matt Schlapp said during the DeSantis presentation, which opened the conference. He was referring to Cuomo, who got an Emmy last year for his coronavirus briefings.
“We are happy to be in a state that has a governor who deserves the People’s Choice Award,” Schlapp added.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks at a press conference to discuss the first positive case of the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 in New York state on March 2, 2020 in New York City (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images)
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DeSantis didn’t mention either Fauci or Cuomo, but he called Florida an “oasis of freedom.”
Other major speakers hammered Cuomo more explicitly, including Donald Trump Jr., who gave the most publicized speech on Friday.
“Imagine if Ron DeSantis did what Cuomo has been doing for the past two years. He wouldn’t get an Emmy, he would be in jail,” Trump Jr. said. “Credible accusations of harassment swept under the rug, of harassment verbal swept under the carpet, hiding evidence from the DOJ swept under the carpet, no problem. Give him an Emmy! Do you remember Fredo when he talked about it for months? Where’s Fredo? He’s so quiet these days- Here! Why doesn’t Fredo talk about these things now? “
Rep Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Also hammered Cuomo. Congressman Firebrand has become one of the strongest supporters of ousting Republicans seen as disloyal to former President Donald Trump. Gaetz received a standing ovation that lasted more than four minutes after his speech on Friday.
“The fake news media and their allies in Silicon Valley have made Governor Cuomo an iconic cross between King David and Tom Brady,” Gaetz said. “What a big lie that turned out to be. According to former aides, Governor Cuomo was proposing to replace staff meetings with strip poker.”
In this file photo from December 22, 2020, Dr.Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks before receiving his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, MD (AP Photo / Patrick Semansky, Pool, File)
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“Meanwhile, they were removing granny from the hospital’s COVID ward and throwing her in the nursing home, just enough time to infect everyone, then returning to the hospital so the deaths could be reclassified for politics. “, he added. “How about letting go of lockdown governors like Cuomo and Newsom ad Murphy and never giving up on the American way of life and the American spirit.”
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem attacked both Fauci and Cuomo. She has seen her profile increase within the GOP for reasons similar to DeSantis. She refused to lock down her state, keeping schools open and the economy running.
“We never focused on the number of cases. Instead, we kept an eye on the capacity of the hospital,” Noem said. “Dr Fauci told me I would have 10,000 COVID patients in the hospital on our worst day. On our worst day we had just over 600. I don’t know if you agree, but Fauci is very wrong!
Donald Trump Jr. gives a media interview during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Friday February 26, 2021 in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo / John Raoux)
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She added, on Cuomo: “At one point I appeared on George Stephanopoulos’ Sunday Show. He had just finished a segment with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, here he asked Cuomo to give me advice on how to deal with COVID. “
“He’s the COVID hero of the media,” Noem added, referring to the governor ravaged by the scandal. “So who really needed this advice?”
Cuomo denies the sexual assault allegations against him. He also claimed his administration was following federal guidelines when placing coronavirus patients in nursing homes, even though it has continued to refer elderly patients to their group homes long after the change in standards. federal guidelines.
Fauci and his supporters have said their recommendations on the virus, which did not exist until 2019, have evolved as Americans’ understanding of the virus has evolved. They also say the strict recommendations reflect the large number of deaths the virus is capable of and has caused.
Many CPAC have complained about the hiding rules in the venue, which are not in place because of DeSantis but because of Orange County, Florida, and the Hyatt where the conference is being held. Some wear mesh masks or simply openly flout the rules of masking. Gatherings outside of the CPAC conference include large crowds with very few people wearing masks.
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CPAC is expected to wrap up on Sunday when Trump delivers the keynote address. He will endeavor to emphasize that he is still the leader of the party, as many of his allies have said in previous speeches and interviews.
But DeSantis’ handling of the pandemic has improved his profile so much that many people at CPAC are predicting that he and not Trump will be the 2024 GOP candidate.
Fox Nation is a sponsor of CPAC.
Fox News Alexandra Rego, Joseph A. Wulfsohn, and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
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