Renzo Downey
Gov. Ron DeSantis is standing by President Donald Trump after comments the President made to reporter and author Bob Woodward regarding COVID-19’s severity that came to light this week.
Trump told Woodward on March 19 that he deliberately minimized the danger, according to recordings of an interview between the two. In a recording from a Feb. 7 interview, the President told the reporter, who rose to prominence for his Watergate scandal coverage, that the virus was more deadly than “strenuous flu.”
The Washington Post, where Woodward serves as associate editor, reported excerpts of the book, “Rage” on Wednesday, as did CNN. The book also covers race relations, diplomacy with North Korea and a range of other issues that have arisen during the past two years.
“I wanted to always play it down,” the President said in one excerpt.
But DeSantis says Trump never said anything to him of the sort.
“No one ever told me, hey, we’re going to say this, but really this is the case,” DeSantis said. “We always thought that it was something that was very significant for people who were elderly and people who had significant underlying conditions.”
With Trump facing scrutiny over his early pandemic response, DeSantis — one of his most vocal supporters — was tasked to step up to the plate in support of the President during a Friday press conference in Miami. The Governor noted that criticisms over downplaying the danger come in hindsight, but that Trump acted early to restrict travel from China.
“When he took action, I remember people were criticizing. They were saying don’t do it,” DeSantis said. “They were saying it was racist to shut down travel from China, which was absurd. Of course you do it.”
The Governor took aim at the media for telling people to worry about the common cold or flu over the novel coronavirus early on. The World Health Organization, which the Trump administration cut ties with in May over its pandemic response, also took some of the Governor’s blame.
“Remember, the World Health Organization in January said it wasn’t contagious, wasn’t transmissible person-to-person,” DeSantis added. “They tweeted that out the third week of January.”
But the Governor also pointed to the U.S. government, noting that high level officials said there was nothing to worry about. To DeSantis, that suggested there was “legitimate uncertainty.”
“We had very limited tests because the CDC didn’t handle that the way we wanted, but they’re coming back from China, testing, trying to find, and I think we thought that it was not that widespread,” he said.
8 comments
NO MORE REPUBLICANS !!!
September 11, 2020 at 3:30 pm
#1 asshole lies. #2 asshole swears to it. The smarter, wiser, higher-quality people in this country who know better and can do better need to rise up and rid this country, at every level, of the assholes. November 3rd is a good date on which to begin that process!
Sonja Fitch
September 11, 2020 at 3:37 pm
Omg liar liar nobody told me. Wtf duffus Desantis you have any and all resources and knowledgeable people 24/7. You are the Fing Governor of one of the most populated states?! Stfu and get out!
James Robert Miles
September 11, 2020 at 4:20 pm
So now the Trump butt kisser is claiming ignorance as an excuse. We already knew that!
Martin
September 11, 2020 at 4:22 pm
Renzo downey still reporating de santis fake nEW tracks daily method siNC early august.trump and de santis early august surging record highs both announced would start counting er hospital positive cases aND deaths nationwide and fla.both leaver out ALL POSITIVE CASES AND DEATHS DAILY FROM RESULTS THOUSANDS TEST SITES DAILY MAJORITY DIE AT HOME waitg 2 week delay results no longer counted. SO SINCE EARLY AUGUST THEY BOTH CLAIM DEClining DALLY CASES AND DEATHS WHEN REPORTING SINCE EARLY SURGING AUGUST ONLY ADMITTEDLY HOSPITAL DIAGNOSIS. CLAIM BETTER TRACK IS THEIR QUICK CHANGE FROM TRUE TRACK B4 EARLY AUGUST AND IS ONLY REPORTING MINORITY THRU JUST HOSPITALS.
Deception by trump and de santis hide surging deaths and surging still both cases severe sick.so both can DECEITFULLY claim declining 5 weeks while really still surging.nothing done slow it.opened more so is surging totals not reported more ongoing.
Biden must address this Deception of trump pandemic improving when majority states spiking still but trump hiding numbers,
Voters must see NEW FAST BIDEN AD SHOWING CHANGED TRACKING EARLY AUGUST SO CAN KNOW TRUMP HIDING ALL NATIONWIDE CASES AND DEATHS TO SAY PANDEMIC BETTER WHEN STILL TRACK IS SURGING MORE WEEKLY BUT HIDDEN WITH MINORITY REPORTS JUST FROM HOSPITALS.A TRICKY NEW PLAN SETUP DELAYING LABS.IGNORING ALL SITE POSITIVES. NOT COUNTING CASES AND DEATHS ANYMORE EXCEPT HOSPITALS.MEDICAL EXAMINERS STATE WIDE TRUMP ORDERED MONTHS AGO ONLY REPORTS HOME DEATHS FROM VIRUS GO TO HIS TEAM NO LONGER PUBLIC.HE IGNOREs THESE. Review his and de santis minority deaths and cases daily reporting aging totals WHEN ADMITTED BY BOTH USING HOSPITALIZATIONS DIAGNOSIS AND DATA ONLY SHOW DECEPTION OF DECLINING WHEN ONGOING WORSE SURGING OUT OF CONTROL.VOTERS MUST SEE THESE TACTICS USED FOR FAKE REPORTING TO KNOW NOT VOTE TRUMP.PANDEMIC STILL ONGOING WORSE DAILY.NOTHING DONE SLOW IT.
FLORIDA POLITICS RENZO QUOTES OLD USELESS DE SANTIS ABT JAN FEB CHINA ETC AS DE SANTIS DISTRACTS ignoring March april may june July august September HAPPENINGS ONGOING VIRUS AND DEATHS. Old stuff not revelations to last 8 weeks spread covered up so quit buying their old rhetoric abt Jan or Feb. Who cares. Lasthe 8 weeks make both address those and NOW TRICK MINORITY DAILY DATA FROM JUST HOSPITALS.BOTH ESPECIALLY DE SANTIS DISTRACT FLORIDA POLITICS constantly from catastrophic ongoing last 8 weeks surges up up by spouting months old crap and you let them get away with it.wise up.he’s fooling you.start thinking.
John McMahon
September 13, 2020 at 3:07 pm
MARTIN!! Could you PLEASE re write your post so that humans can read it? Why are you shouting? Is it to make your hateful illiterate gibberish less corrupted ?
You and the thugs in your facist leftist ruled leadership screamed about Trump HALTING those meningitis infested caravans from South America and HALTING Covid infected flights from China remember?
If your a real man you will leave that politically rancid, failed institution also known as the Antifa Democrat party of murder, looting, burning, and shooting innocent children in Chicago.
DisplacedCTYankee
September 12, 2020 at 3:56 am
Meanwhile, Gov DeMAGA “orders” bars opened at half-capacity on Monday because his Great Orange Father told him to.
Palmer Tom
September 12, 2020 at 5:32 pm
Is Alicia Silverstone the governor? Clueless seems the SOP.
Sonja Fitch
September 14, 2020 at 5:46 am
Re read this article at least 5 times ! Just cannt get passed the stupidity of Desantis! There is no excuse Desantis other than you are brainwashed and braindead!
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