Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) directed verbal jabs at Australia this week, questioning strategies the country has used in order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
After more than a year and a half of remaining in lockdown, the country is beginning to open up, but the Florida Governor believes the country has enacted too much control over the Australian people. While speaking at the International Boatbuilders Exhibition in Tampa this week, the Governor said that Australia is “not a free country.”
Governor DeSantis has remained firm in his opposition to vaccine mandates, mask mandates, and vaccine passports. He’s also vehemently opposed lockdowns, arguing instead that the American people should be allowed to work. In Australia, the government has remained in lockdown as a response to the pandemic. Melbourne, Australia has been in lockdown since August 5th; Sydney, Australia has been in lockdown since June 26th; and the capital territory of Canberra has been in lockdown since August 12th after one positive test from Sydney was uncovered.
However, Australia also remains one of the United States’ closest allies, but Governor DeSantis shared that he does not agree with the county's handling of the pandemic.
“That’s not a free country,” DeSantis argued, reaffirming that “it’s not a free country at all.”
“In fact, I wonder why we would still have the same diplomatic relations when they’re doing that,” DeSantis questioned. “Is Australia freer than communist China right now?” he questioned, adding that “the fact that that’s even a question tells you something has gone dramatically off the rails with some of this stuff.”
In making a distinction between his handling of the pandemic and Australia’s handling, DeSantis expressed that Florida is “not just going to subcontract out people’s freedom and livelihoods to some health bureaucrat like Fauci, who quite frankly doesn’t care about your jobs, doesn’t care about your business and has no regard for how his policies affect people’s everyday lives.”
DeSantis is currently running for reelection in a gubernatorial race that includes Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D) and Florida Rep. Charlie Crist (D) as his challengers.
