Florida Democrats blame DeSantis for COVID surge
Fox News contributor James Freeman challenges the Miami Beach, Florida, mayor for claiming Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has handled the coronavirus pandemic poorly.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis accompanied his wife to her cancer treatment while critics were accusing the governor of taking a vacation as coronavirus cases spiked, Fox News has learned.
A DeSantis spokesperson said the governor accompanied wife Casey to cancer treatment Dec. 29, the day several left-wing critics accused the governor of “missing.”
Rep. Ron DeSantis, Republican candidate for governor of Florida, speaks as his wife Casey DeSantis looks on during a campaign rally in Estero, Fla. Oct. 31, 2018.
(Jayme Gershen/Bloomberg/File)
DeSantis’ announced in October that his wife had been diagnosed with breast cancer, telling Fox News at the time that as “the mother of three young children, Casey is the centerpiece of our family and has made an impact on the lives of countless Floridians through her initiatives as first lady.”
Democratic Mayor Jerry Demings of Orange County in Florida criticized DeSantis in a press conference Tuesday amid the rising COVID cases, suggesting state residents “should be outraged” with DeSantis not being in front of the media during the spike.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
(AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
“Our residents, all Florida residents should be outraged, and they should ask the question, ‘Now, where’s our state? Where’s our governor?'” Demings said. “Where is Ron DeSantis now? When was the last time you saw the governor do a press briefing regarding COVID-19?”
Others, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., took to social media to criticize DeSantis and accuse him of being “inexplicably missing.”
“Hasn’t Gov. DeSantis been inexplicably missing for like 2 weeks,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a tweet during a visit to Florida. “If he’s around, I would be happy to say hello. His social media team seems to have been posting old photos for weeks.”
“In the meantime, perhaps I could help with local organizing,” added Ocasio-Cortez, who was spotted maskless while drinking and dining outdoors in the Sunshine State. “Folks are quite receptive here.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis
(Images/LightRocket)
MSNBC host Joy Reid also lashed out at DeSantis, writing in a tweet: “A governor, not governing during a crisis; and sunning his belly on vacation instead. @GovRonDeSantis is the Nero of Ted Cruzes.”
DeSantis Press Secretary Christina Pushaw responded to Reid, attaching photos of DeSantis’ daily schedule, and asked, “Have you ever considered that you’re one of the reasons nobody trusts the media?”
DeSantis communications staffer Kyle Lamb also responded to critics on Twitter who were questioning whether DeSantis was on vacation, writing: “Just FYI, [DeSantis] is not on vacation. Literally no one from our office has said that he is.
“Anyone pushing that could have easily seen the public schedule and seen that he’s taking calls and meetings this past week,” Lamb added. “Not having public events does not = ‘vacation.'”
Fox News’ Houston Keene contributed to this report.
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