Florida Gov. DeSantis attacks Biden: ‘I don’t want to hear a blip about COVID from you’

FORT LAUDEREDALE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, facing a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, delivered extraordinary and impassioned remarks on the issue Wednesday — attacking President Joe Biden.

He made a litany of accusations against the president, many of them amped up versions of what Biden or his administration has said and done that have an element of truth but DeSantis depicted as ineptitude, incompetence or maliciousness.

The governor concluded his 4 1/2-minute broadside with this message to the president: “So why don’t you do your job? Why don’t you get this border secure, and until you do that, I don’t want to hear a blip about COVID from you. Thank you.”

DeSantis portrayed himself as the leader who is standing up for individual freedom against what he depicted as a malevolent, big-government Biden.

“The question is we can either have a free society or we can have a biomedical security state,” DeSantis asserted. “And I can tell you, Florida, we’re a free state. People are going to be free to choose to make their own decisions about themselves about their families, about their kids’ education and about putting food on the table. … Let me tell you this: If you’re coming after the rights of parents in Florida, I’m standing in your way, I’m not going to let you get away with it.”

DeSantis made his remarks after delivering government money at an event in Panama City, then departed without answering questions. The audience cheered.

DeSantis claimed that the Biden administration is “helping to facilitate [the spread of COVID-19] in our country,” by doing nothing to stop the flow of people from around the world “and who knows what new variants” at the southern border and sending them throughout the U.S.

“And what is his big solution? What is he so upset about, Florida? His solution is he wants to have the government to force kindergarteners to wear masks in school. He doesn’t believe the parents should have a say in that. He thinks that should be a decision for the government. Well, I can tell you in Florida the parents are going to be the ones in charge of that decision.”