At a press conference, DeSantis accused Biden of trying to “single out” Florida, suggesting his administration’s border policies are responsible for a recent surge of coronavirus infections.
Biden accused DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has also banned mask and vaccine mandates, of “bad health policy” during a speech on Tuesday, telling them to “help” or “get out of the way.”
DeSantis on Wednesday said his state will make coronavirus vaccines “available to all” but added “we’re not going to mandate it,” telling Biden, “I don’t want to hear a blip about Covid from you.”
Psaki noted in a tweet soon after DeSantis’ comments that nearly a quarter of new coronavirus hospitalizations in the U.S. are in Florida, which makes up just under 7% of the U.S. population.
Psaki also extended an olive branch to DeSantis, tweeting that the administration is “doing everything we can to help the people of [Florida] ,” and adding, “We hope [Gov. DeSantis] joins us in this fight.”
BIG NUMBER
137%. That’s how much hospitalizations in Florida have risen in the last two weeks, with deaths rising by 104%, according to data compiled by the New York Times. That’s compared to a 92% increase in hospitalizations and a 49% increase in deaths nationwide.
TANGENT
DeSantis is seen as a frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president if former President Donald Trump steps aside. He has consistently polled at the top of the pack in 2024 GOP primary polls with Trump excluded.
