Trump blasts DeSantis COVID-19 policies, despite encouraging him to back lockdowns
Ryan King
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Former President Donald Trump criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis‘s COVID-19 lockdown policy, despite persuading him to impose a stay-at-home order in the first place.
Back in 2020, as COVID-19 ravaged the country, DeSantis was reticent about implementing a statewide lockdown but caved after a call with Trump and a “grave reckoning” about the risks of mass deaths if such an order was not imposed, the New York Times reported. Trump took a swing at DeSantis over the weekend for closing his state during the pandemic.
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“There are Republican governors that did not close their states; Florida was closed for a long period of time,” Trump said Saturday. “They’re trying to rewrite history.”
On April 1, 2020, DeSantis issued an executive order that cited the Trump administration in urging Floridians to limit their movements outside of their homes. The order lasted about one month and mirrored similar policies in other states at the time while granting exemptions for worship services, outdoor recreational activities, and “essential activities.”
“In concert with the efforts of President Trump and the White House Coronavirus Task Force to fight COVID-19, and based on guidance provided by Florida Surgeon General and State Health Officer, Dr. Scott Rivkees, all persons in Florida shall limit their movements and personal interactions outside of their home to only those necessary to obtain or provide essential services or conduct essential activities,” the order stated.
DeSantis later turned against the use of stringent measures to curtail the virus and rose to national stardom within the GOP for railing against lockdowns and mask mandates. The Florida governor has since said he regretted not speaking out “much louder” against COVID-19 restrictions during the early days of the pandemic.
“I never thought in February, early March, that [the coronavirus] would lead to locking down the country,” the Republican governor said on the Ruthless podcast last year. “I just didn’t. I didn’t think that was on the radar.”
In April 2020, while DeSantis was making plans to reopen Florida’s public schools, Trump mused that if he disagreed with DeSantis, he “would overrule the governor, and I have that right to do it.”
“He’s doing a great job as governor,” Trump said at the time, according to Politico. “Ron DeSantis, I had read where he’s thinking about opening up the schools earlier than the date — the end of the month. I’d have to look at the numbers, but I like to allow governors to make decisions without overruling them.“
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COVID-19 has emerged as a key battleground in the nascent 2024 presidential contest. Trump previously sparred with DeSantis for being coy about whether he received the COVID-19 booster shot. Late last year, DeSantis secured a grand jury to investigate “crimes and wrongdoing committed against Floridians related to the COVID-19 vaccine.”
Trump formally declared his 2024 campaign last November and held his first blockbuster rally of the year in South Carolina over the weekend. DeSantis has been mum about his potential 2024 plans, but has consistently polled as a top challenger to Trump.