Republican debate: DeSantis slams Trump and Pence on COVID-19 response

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Election 2024 Debate
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy speaks as former Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis listen during a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by FOX News Channel Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) Morry Gash/AP

Republican debate: DeSantis slams Trump and Pence on COVID-19 response

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Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) on the Republican debate stage in Milwaukee commented on the coronavirus pandemic, criticizing former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence for the national lockdown.

DeSantis said a national lockdown was “a mistake” that “should never have happened,” chiding the Trump administration for listening to bureaucrats at the National Institutes of Health, including the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

DeSantis told the audience that he would “never let the deep state … lock you down.”

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Pence was not permitted by moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum to respond to DeSantis’s allegations.

Trump announced that he would not participate in the debate.

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