Ron DeSantis praised Anthony Fauci for Covid response in spring 2020 for ‘really doing a good job’

CNN ^ | Thu June 1, 2023 | Andrew Kaczynski,

[SoConPubbie]

Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is attacking former President Donald Trump for “turning the country over to [Dr. Anthony] Fauci in March 2020” but DeSantis was praising the chief public health official at the same time in previously unreported quotes, saying Fauci was “really, really good and really, really helpful” and “really doing a good job.”

In other comments, the Florida governor said he deferred to Fauci’s guidance on COVID-19 restrictions and later cited his guidance when communicating the policies he was putting in place early in the pandemic in the state of Florida.

“You have a lot of people there who are working very, very hard, and they’re not getting a lot of sleep,” DeSantis said on March 25, 2020, at a briefing on Florida’s response. “And they’re really focusing on a big country that we have. And from Dr. Birx to Dr. Fauci to the vice president who’s worked very hard, the surgeon general, they’re really doing a good job. It’s a tough, tough situation, but they’re working hard.”

[SoConPubbie]

Bryan Griffin, a spokesman for DeSantis, told CNN he initially followed guidance from Fauci but changed course and didn’t look back.

“Like most Americans, the governor initially assumed medical officials were going to serve the interests of the people and keep politics out of their decision making. When it became clear that this wasn’t the case, the governor charted his own course and never looked back,” Griffin told CNN in an email. “Governor DeSantis would’ve fired Anthony Fauci.”

I wounder if this Bryan Griffin is the same as our very own Brian Griffin here at FreeRepublic??

[BenLurkin]

Name ‘em
Ping ‘em

[Just mythoughts]

sanc·ti·mo·ny

the action or practice of acting as if one were morally superior to other people:
“they have no shame and turn on the phony sanctimony”

[SoConPubbie]

The dishonest and hubris of DeSantis is simply amazing.

Much like the small cadre of DeSantis Online Influencers here on FreeRepublic, he leaves out the context and facts that hurt his position and proving that a lot of times, it's "The Pot calling the Kettle Black" where the accusations against Trump are concerned.

How do you believe someone like DeSantis, on anything else, when he so much of the time plays fast and loose with the facts?

[euram]

Unfortunately, most people believed Fauci was working in the interest of America’s health. I can’t fault DeSantis on this one.

[TexasGator]

If you are going to make an accusation, at least ping the dude.

[GulliverSwift]

DeSantis has no principles except promoting globalism. On any other issue, he will say whatever he thinks is necessary to get support.

In the very remote possibility he got the Republican nomination, he would immediately move left and start trying to get independents and moderates. But he would not modify his foreign policy and tax priorities. Those are fixed.

[Drew68]

Good grief, everyone was praising Fauci in March of ‘20.

Trump was still praising him in September.

[SoConPubbie]

Unfortunately, most people believed Fauci was working in the interest of America’s health. I can’t fault DeSantis on this one.

That's not the question, the question is, will you fault DeSantis for such an obvious distortion of the truth?

Will you fault DeSantis for his hypocrisy?

If you don't, you are part of that lack of honest and resultant hypocrisy.

[mmichaels1970]

Weren’t we still in the “two weeks to slow the spread” phase at that time?

[srmanuel]

Ask yourself why did Trump put him front and center and to this day has never been critical of Fauci, if you are going to label DeSantis a Fauci supporter if you are honest you should say Trump is just as guilty

[SoConPubbie]

In the very remote possibility he got the Republican nomination, he would immediately move left and start trying to get independents and moderates. But he would not modify his foreign policy and tax priorities. Those are fixed.

Yup!

They already have his campaign team on video / audio record stating that exact point!

[SoConPubbie]

Ask yourself why did Trump put him front and center and to this day has never been critical of Fauci, if you are going to label DeSantis a Fauci supporter if you are honest you should say Trump is just as guilty

Another obvious distortion of the truth and lie concerning President Trump by a DeSanctimonious supporter.

Well, since DeSantis, and his campaign Team are out there pushing the same set of lies, I guess I shouldn't be surprised when his Online Influencers behave in the same fashion.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

March of 2020 was a long time ago and people were willing to do many things because we were told it was "just for six weeks".

If they had kept to the original time line it would have been a small bump.

[SoConPubbie]

If you are going to make an accusation, at least ping the dude.

He's been pinged.

[Ann Archy]

We were ALL TAKEN IN BY DR. FRAUD!!!! Panic was EVERYWHERE because NO ONE KNEW what this was.

I was suspicious of Fraud the first time I saw him SMILING at one of Trumps first pressers!!

NO ONE should have thought there was anything worth smiling about in this pandemic......UNLESS you got ORDERS to BRING IT ON!

[Ann Archy]

PLEASE tell all of us how DeSantis is promoting GLOBALISM!! ASAP, PLEASE!

[srmanuel]

Please point out where I lied.

I watched one press conference after another with Trump and Fauci standing shoulder to shoulder setting Covid policy

[BlackbirdSST]

Ask yourself why did Trump put him front and center...

If not Fauci, some other "I am the science" clown would have stepped up to be front and center. Our institutions are filled to the brim with these over educated clowns.

[VeniVidiVici]

Fauci and DeSantis during a news conference.