Ron DeSantis Laments Politicization Of Face Masks After Politicizing Face Masks

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has spent much of the pandemic criticizing mask mandates and spreading disinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines.

Since his efforts were primarily designed to appeal to conservative voters, it was ironic on Wednesday when he lamented that the issue of face masks has become so politicized.

“I don’t know why the masks have politics around it,” DeSantis told reporters. “Let the parent make the decision that’s best for their kids. If you want the masks, do it, if you don’t, don’t ― that’s fine.”

Although DeSantis decried the politicization of wearing face masks in public, he has politicized the virus by raising funds selling products that demonize Anthony Fauci and mock the COVID-19 vaccines.

The governor has also issued an executive order threatening to cut funding from school districts that defy a statewide ban on classroom mask mandates. However, on Wednesday, a judge ruled that the state cannot enforce the ban.

DeSantis is doing this even though Florida is experiencing a surge in the highly contagious delta variant, overwhelmingly driven by unvaccinated residents. DeSantis keeps falsely insisting that actions such as wearing a mask in public or getting a vaccine is a personal choice, one that “doesn’t impact me or anyone else.”

Not surprisingly, many Twitter users called out the governor on his hypocrisy.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.