Trump Claims DeSantis’ Covid Rules Were Too Harsh—But Also Blasts Florida’s High Death Rate

Forbes Business Breaking Trump Claims DeSantis’ Covid Rules Were Too Harsh—But Also Blasts Florida’s High Death Rate Sara Dorn Forbes Staff Politics Following May 30, 2023, 04:31pm EDT | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Former President Donald Trump accused Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) of failing to prevent Covid-19 deaths, while also making the contradictory suggestion that DeSantis unnecessarily closed Florida’s economy during the pandemic, in a post on Truth Social Tuesday that defies Trump’s previous praise of his 2024 rival for lifting Covid-19 restrictions before many other states. Florida Gov.

Ron DeSantis (L) speaks while meeting with U. S. President Donald Trump in the Oval .

. . [+] Office of the White House on April 28, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Trump met with DeSantis to discuss ways that Florida is planning to gradually re-open the state in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Doug Mills/The New York Times/Pool/Getty Images) Getty Images Key Facts Trump asked “why do they say that DeSanctus did a good job?” in regards to the Covid-19 pandemic, pointing out that Florida had the third-most deaths of any state, adding “New York had fewer deaths!” It’s a fraught comparison, however: New York, excluding New York City, logged more Covid-19 deaths by population (269 per 100,000 residents) than Florida, which recorded 245 per 100,000 residents, and in New York City, the death rate was 376 per 100,000, according to the U. S.

Centers for Disease Control’s age-adjusted statistics. Trump also criticized DeSantis because “he shut down the State, and even its beaches (unlike other Republican Governors)”—striking an entirely different tone than he did as president, when he said “DeSantis is doing a “spectacular job in Florida,” while meeting with him at the White House in April 2020, a day before DeSantis announced most stores and restaurants could reopen. Tangent Trump also contradicted himself a day earlier, when he slammed DeSantis for failing to stop Disney from becoming “woke,” weeks after he accused DeSantis of engaging in an “unnecessary .

. . political stunt” with the company.

Trump’s latest attack appears to be a response to DeSantis’s claim last week that Trump was veering to the left by siding with Disney in its dispute with the Florida governor, who has sought to curb the company’s power after it publicly opposed Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. Key Background Trump has amplified his attacks against DeSantis over the past several months as his former ally prepared to enter the 2024 presidential race, attacking him over his personality and his policy priorities while serving in Congress, including his support for a national sales tax to replace most other federal taxes and reforms to Social Security and Medicare. DeSantis, meanwhile, has largely stayed out of the fray with Trump—and did not mention him on the day he announced his campaign—but has made several direct jabs since declaring his candidacy last week.

On Thursday, he suggested Trump is attacking him because he feels threatened, telling Good Morning New Hampshire radio host Jack Heath: “He understands that I’ve got a good chance to beat him, because he doesn’t criticize anybody else now. ” In a subsequent interview with Nashville WWTN radio host Matt Murphy, DeSantis told Murphy Trump has changed since his first presidential campaign. “I don’t know what happened to Donald Trump,” he said.

Further Reading Trump Slams Disney For Going ‘Woke’ As He Blames DeSantis For Failing To Stop It (Forbes) DeSantis Finally Mentions Trump After Botched 2024 Launch: ‘I’ve Got A Good Chance To Beat Him’ (Forbes) From ‘Brilliant’ To ‘Disloyal’: How Trump Turned On DeSantis (Forbes) Follow me on Twitter . Send me a secure tip . Sara Dorn Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.