In the days leading up to the Iowa caucuses, Ron DeSantis is using his record on COVID-19 to set himself apart from Donald Trump.
During his Saturday visit to Council Bluffs, Iowa, DeSantis ripped into Trump during a Fox News town hall this week, claiming that DeSantis had previously supported Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former head of the government’s infectious disease response and a leading expert in the field.
“If you go back and look at the record, you will see that the biggest fan of Dr. Fauci was Ron DeSanctimonious,” remarked President Trump. A huge admirer, he was. ‘I go by what Dr. Fauci said.'” was his exact quote.
In March 2020, DeSantis did compliment Fauci, calling him “really doing a good job,” and stated that he would listen to Fauci’s advice on when to reopen. In response to strong criticism, he swiftly changed his mind, resuming normal operations by reopening businesses and schools and preventing municipal mask requirements.
On Saturday, DeSantis claimed that Trump was attempting to “gaslight” voters by making the claims against Fox News. “He believes you’re ignorant,” the governor of Florida stated.
According to DeSantis, Trump was the one who appointed Fauci as head of the response to the pandemic. Additionally, DeSantis informed the audience that in 2021, his political organisation sold “Don’t Fauci My Florida” T-shirts. This was in response to his decision to defy Fauci’s advice and open schools and businesses instead.
When DeSantis initially joined the Republican presidential primary, he had trouble finding the right words to criticise Trump. However, he quickly began to make nuanced differences on the issue of COVID vaccines. Trump and DeSantis have traded accusations of hypocrisy throughout the race due to DeSantis’s earlier support for COVID vaccinations, particularly for the elderly, and his subsequent decision to close the state.
One of the key reasons the governor rose to popularity within the Republican Party and briefly led the polls was his handling of the pandemic. However, he fell from his perch over the period of many months.