Ron DeSantis laid into former president Trump during a Thursday press conference for disingenuously praising former New York governor Andrew Cuomo’s pandemic response.
“When you are saying that Cuomo did better on Covid than Florida did, you are revealing yourself to just be full of it,” the governor said when asked by the Daily Caller’s Henry Rodgers whether he’d endorse Trump in the general election should the former president best him in the GOP primary.
“Nobody believes that and, you know why I know that, because I remember in 2020, in 2021, when he [Trump] was praising Florida for being open, saying we did it much better than New York and Michigan and everyone was coming to Florida,” he added. “He used to say that all the time. Now, all of a sudden, his tune is changing, and I would just tell people, do you find it credible? Do you honestly find it credible? Would you have rather been in New York during Covid under [the] Cuomo regime? Or would you have rather been in the free state of Florida?”
#BREAKING: DeSantis asked if he pledges to support Trump if he's the GOP nominee
"When you are saying Cuomo did better than Florida on COVID, [you] are full of it. Nobody believes that […] He was praising Florida for being open [in 2020 and 2021]."
"Now he's trying to… pic.twitter.com/dXelUKW2Tn
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) June 22, 2023
The Republican National Committee has declared that all candidates must preemptively pledge to support the nominee as a precondition to participating in primary debates.
The Trump campaign labeled DeSantis a “Never Trumper” in response to the governor’s comments.
“Ron DeSantis just proved once again why he’s a Never Trumper in the mold of Liz Cheney and Jeb Bush, completely disqualifying him for 2024, as well as 2028. Voters want someone who will actually stand up to the CCP and be truthful to the American people, which is why President Trump continues to dominate in poll after poll— both statewide and nationally,” the campaign said in a statement provided to the Daily Caller.
Trump has made DeSantis’s Covid response a centerpiece of his attacks on the man he views as his chief rival for the 2024 nomination. He defended his own approach to Covid as president during an interview with Fox News’ Brett Baier Tuesday night and made a series of misleading allegations about DeSantis’s pandemic governance.
“I gave the governor’s the options. For instance, Henry McMaster of South Carolina governor Great guy, great governor. He didn’t shut it down Tennessee didn’t shut it down. South Dakota didn’t shut it down. Georgia shut it down for a little while but not much. They did a good job. Six states didn’t shut down. I gave—it’s a federalist system. I told all governors you do what you want. You can shut it down or not. Florida by the way he shut it down tight. No highways, no beaches.”
In fact, DeSantis issued an executive order in April 2020 reopening recreation areas and religious services, listening them as “essential activities.” And in December 2020, DeSantis rejected the Trump administration guidance urging him to reestablish “strong mitigation measures.”
Trump’s attacks on DeSantis’s handling of Covid represent a sharp departure from the praise he lavished on the governor while president.
In March 2020, just one month into the pandemic, Trump called DeSantis a “great governor” who “knows exactly what he’s doing” during a White House press briefing.
Trump’s about-face even drew Cuomo, who resigned from his post in August 2021, to comment on the matter.
“Donald Trump tells the truth, finally,” the former governor tweeted. “New York got hit first and worst but New Yorkers acted responsibly. Florida’s policy of denial allowed Covid to spread and that’s why they had a very large second wave.”