Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is one of the Republican governors recently criticized by President Joe Biden for banning mask mandates in their states. This comes as the United States is currently witnessing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases driven by the highly contagious Delta variant.
In response to Biden’s criticism, DeSantis said: “Why don’t you do your job?”
On Tuesday, Biden had said at the White House that the Republican governors who are not willing to do the right thing to beat COVID-19 should allow businesses and universities who want to do the right thing to do it. The president had pleaded with the governors to help but said that if they aren’t going to help, they should get out of the way. Biden added that the bans made by the Republican governors are bad health policies.
DeSantis felt that the statements of Biden were directed to him through a news conference. He said that Biden is suggesting that if governors do not do lockdown policies, they should “get out of the way.”
“But let me tell you this: If you’re coming after the rights of parents in Florida, I’m standing in your way,” DeSantis said. He added that through Biden’s criticism and statement, the president is trying to deny the children a “proper in-person education,” and he is trying to restrict people, which could ruin their jobs, livelihoods, and small businesses.
Florida’s governor continued to say that Biden should just focus on the illegal immigration problem at the southern border, pointing out that this contributes to the increase of COVID-19 cases in the state. DeSantis’ complete statement for Biden was, “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.”
Aside from DeSantis, Biden had also criticized Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott after enforcing the mask mandate ban days ago. Abbott put the ban in place, not allowing local government officials to force citizens to wear masks in public areas and schools and to get vaccinated.
Referring to Biden’s statements, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that they are not partisan evaluations or assessments. The remarks are assessments of what is not happening that should be happening to protect people’s lives. And until it would happen, they will keep calling that out.
Psaki also recently tweeted on Wednesday afternoon that 23 percent of the new COVID-19 cases in the United States come from Florida. She added in her tweet that she hopes DeSantis will join them in the fight against the virus.
