Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) whose profile has risen in the GOP, fueling talks of a possible 2024 run for president simply for saying a war against every effort to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, including masks, is now wondering why mask wearing is politicized.
“I don’t know why the masks have politics around it. Let the parent make the decision that’s best for their kids. If you want the masks, do it, if you don’t, don’t — that’s fine,” DeSantis said. “We have unions involved, and the same unions that wanted schools closed all of last year. Remember, we were in court last year at this time because they sued me to close the schools. We were getting kids back in school, we understood how important that was for parents and kids to be learning and all this stuff.”
DeSantis is on the shortlist of potential GOP nominee for president in 2024 because he opposed every measure put in place to fight the pandemic. He has led an aggressive campaign against mandatory mask-wearing in schools ahead of his re-election next year as cases soar in Florida. He relishes the backlash from Democrats, especially President Joe Biden, who has criticized the governor and other Republican leaders who have rejected recommendations from public health officials.
