Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is stalking a group of students for wearing masks and said he was postponing the president Joe BidenThe state of the Union during a rally in Tampa on Wednesday.
Videos show republican the governor instructed students at the University of South Florida to take off their masks as he walked to the podium.
“You don’t have to wear these masks. I mean, please take them off, “DeSantis said. “Honestly, it’s not doing anything and we have to stop with this COVID theater.”
“So if you want to wear it, fine,” he added. “But that’s it, that’s funny.”
Several students took off their masks, while at least three kept their masks.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is stalking a group of students for wearing masks and said he was napping about the state of President Joe Biden’s union during a rally in Tampa on Wednesday
A video shows the Republican governor instructing students at the University of South Florida to take off their masks as he walked to the podium, calling it the COVID Theater. Some students took off their masks, while others left them
DeSantis was at the Tampa College to announce a $ 20 million investment to create training opportunities for the cybersecurity and information technology workforce.
But the event was also a press conference.
DeSantis, who will be re-elected this year in Florida, has been closely watched as a viable candidate for president in 2024.
Over the weekend at the Orlando Conservative Political Action Conference, the governor of Florida came in second after former President Donald Trump in the event’s annual presidential poll.
Trump received 59.1 percent of the vote, while DeSantis received 28.4 percent.
All other Republicans received 1.5 percent or less.
When Trump was removed from the equation, DeSantis was the clear winner, garnering 61.4 percent.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis looked like presidential material for 28.4 percent of those attending the Conservative Political Action Conference who took part in the annual presidential poll. Without President Donald Trump (right), the number of DeSantis jumped to 61.4% support
“I watched most of the state of the Union, I really fell asleep during that, I admit,” DeSantis said.
He blamed his children for the drowsiness, not Biden.
“I have three children, five and younger, so many times when we are 9, we are a little tired,” he said.
The state of the union began shortly after 9 p.m.
“It is striking that we have many problems in this country. And that’s obviously something you have to deal with. But it is striking that so many of these problems have been created by Biden and his administration since he became president, “said the Republican governor, citing high gas prices as an example.
He accused Biden of shutting down the Keystone pipeline and suspending drilling licenses at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and some other federal lands.
“So you’re importing more than countries like Russia – so it’s bad for consumers … but it’s also bad for our national security,” DeSantis said, arguing that the United States “would be energy independent” if it weren’t Biden.
DeSantis also rebuked Biden for “having to secure the border and fix the immigration system.”
“Well, he’s the one who opened the border.” Are you kidding?’ said DeSantis.
And while Biden said he did not support the “police funding” movement, DeSantis said that “many of these cities have lost money or reduced police budgets, so you are seeing a sharp rise in crime.” He also focused on the administration’s support for the abolition of the cash guarantee.
“Yes, there are a lot of problems, I just think a lot of those problems are the work of Joe Biden,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis was later asked if he had heard anything about the state of the Biden Union, with which he agreed.
“I have to think about some of the things. I agree – if you think about what they did – Fauci is in the witness protection program now, “said DeSantis. “If you listen to them, they have never supported all these policies that have been so destructive.”
DeSantis was referring to the lifting of COVID restrictions after the Omicron jump.
Biden and his guests on the state of the Union interacted without masks on Tuesday night on Capitol Hill.
“We all want to be like Florida,” DeSantis said.
Dr Anthony Fauci, Biden’s chief medical adviser, has not been in hiding since appearing at a COVID briefing at the White House on Wednesday morning.