Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantis The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented By TikTok – Day 1 Goes To Dems As GOP Fumes At Trump Attorneys Florida Democrats Stuck In Divisiveness, Blame Prior To 2022 Florida Data Scientist Drops Lawsuit Over Armed Robbery At Her Home, For Now MORE (R) attacked the media for what he believed was a double standard with the way major social justice marches were covered as opposed to celebrations in Tampa following the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl victory.
“The media is clearly concerned about that,” DeSantis said Wednesday of scenes of mass celebrations in Tampa that showed hundreds of fans maskless on Sunday night while they were together in streets and bars.
“You don’t really care if it’s a ‘peaceful protest’ … and then it’s fine,” DeSantis continued. ‘You don’t really care if they celebrate a Biden election. You only care if it’s people you don’t like. I am a Bucs fan. I’m bloody proud of what they did on Sunday night. . “
Local health officials and the mayor of Tampa said she was deeply concerned after seeing the Sunday night celebration.
“It’s a bit frustrating because we’ve worked so hard,” said Mayor Jane Castor (D) the next day. “At this point when dealing with COVID-19, there is a certain amount of frustration when you see that.”
DeSantis was also at the center of a controversy this week that arose from a photo of him during the Sunday night game showing him in an indoor executive suite without a mask, less than six feet from the person next to him.
DeSantis first spoke about the controversy over the photo earlier this week.
“Someone said, ‘Hey, you were at the Super Bowl without a mask,’” he said Monday. ‘But how the hell can I drink a beer with a mask on? Come on. I had to see the Bucs win. ‘
DeSantis regularly attacks media members for their coverage of the coronavirus pandemic in the state. He has also downplayed the effectiveness of mask wearing and has opposed statewide lockdown measures.
Because it pertains to a new variant of coronavirus found in several states in the country, including Florida, DeSantis said he is confident vaccines against the mutated strain will work.
“We have not seen any data or any evidence to suggest that these vaccines are ineffective,” he said. “So if we get the seniors vaccinated, we’ll be fine.”