President Joe Biden took a not-so-subtle dig at Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday after a reporter asked if he had a response to the governor’s border criticisms.
Biden, who has lambasted governors for refusing to implement COVID restrictions — including mask mandates in schools — drew the ire of DeSantis after the President urged he and other governors to “get out of the way of the people who are trying to do the right thing.” Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, DeSantis issued a swift rebuke, promising to stand up for parents and Floridians against pro-pandemic restrictions.
“If you’re trying to restrict people and impose mandates and ruin their jobs and livelihood, if you are trying to lock people down,” DeSantis said, “I am standing in your way.”
DeSantis, who signed an executive order last week directing the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) and Florida Department of Health (FDOH) to issue emergency rules protecting the rights of parents to decide whether their children will wear masks when the school year begins, advised Biden to “do his job,” noting that until the southern border is secure, he didn’t want to “hear a blip about COVID” from him.
“Why don’t you do your job? Why don’t you get this border secure? And until you do that, I don’t wanna hear a blip about COVID from you, thank you,’ DeSantis added.
DeSantis’ remarks were lauded by many on the right, thanking the Governor for standing up for Florida and protecting people from government overreach.
But when asked by a reporter earlier today on the South Lawn about the critical comments over COVID restrictions, Biden mocked DeSantis, quipping, “Governor who?”
Reporter: “[Ron DeSantis is] saying I am in the way to block too much interference from the federal government. Your response, Mr. President?”
President Biden: “Governor who?” pic.twitter.com/xMeNMNhaft
— The Hill (@thehill) August 5, 2021
Despite an upcoming 2022 gubernatorial election, DeSantis has been touted as a frontrunner to campaign against Biden in 2024.
This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.