Florida Rep. Charlie Crist (D) has embarked on another bid for Florida Governor and has commented on a recent exchange ‘egotistical’ Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) shared with University of Southern Florida Students. In a video posted on social media, Governor DeSantis was preparing to give a speech, and masked students were standing behind him before he spoke. Just as he was to begin speaking, Governor DeSantis tells the students to remove the masks if they’d like, arguing that “we gotta stop with this COVID theater.”
Governor DeSantis told students, “you do not have to wear those masks.” Calling it “ridiculous” and an expression of “COVID theater,” the Governor added that “if you want to wear it, fine.”
The Florida Governor has often butted heads with President Joe Biden (D), fighting against vaccine mandates, mask mandates and vaccine passports.
As expected, Florida Democrats have taken issue with DeSantis’ stance on the ongoing COVID pandemic, and his recent exchange with USF students has drawn criticism from Rep. Crist.
Posting the video on his Instagram account, Rep. Crist, who formerly served as a Republican Governor of Florida, criticized DeSantis, expressing that “young people in our state deserve to be treated with respect, not dunked on by a heartless, egotistical Governor with a political agenda.”
This week, President Biden delivered his State of the Union address wherein he commented on the COVID pandemic.
In the address, the President asked Americans to “stop looking at COVID-19 as a partisan divide line.” As well, the President expressed that the country can now move “forward safely back to a more normal routine,” adding that Americans can ease up on wearing masks and returning to work.
DeSantis, ahead of Biden’s address, amplified his criticism of the Biden Administration, asserting that “Brandon has Failed” the United States in his first year in office.
