White House spokesperson says Ron DeSantis made Florida a ‘free state’
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany speaks during a press briefing at the White House. Image via AP Photo.

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Florida's Governor avoided 'Orwellian' measures.

Florida’s Governor received a vote of confidence from a spokesperson for the President Wednesday.

Kayleigh McEnany, on Wednesday morning’s “Fox and Friends,” lauded Ron DeSantis as one of the greatest Governors in the country, contrasting his making Florida a “free state” with the “Orwellian” solutions of Democrats leading other states.

The messaging from McEnany muddles conclusions from the White House Coronavirus Task Force that Florida must impose restrictions amid an uptick in infections in recent weeks.

McEnany enthused about DeSantis in what she called her “campaign capacity,” as she was appearing on behalf of the campaign and not the White House itself.

“Gov. DeSantis is one of the best Governors in the nation,” McEnany raved. “He has made Florida a free state, where you can open your restaurants, where the citizens have self-responsibility, where we all know how to protect ourselves from COVID.”

McEnany, a Floridian herself, contrasted DeSantis with adherents of the “Orwellian way of lockdown,” such as Govs. Andrew Cuomo and Gavin Newsom of New York and California respectively.

“We can protect ourselves from COVID but we can also have a United States Constitution where we don’t have Gov. Cuomo shutting down places of worship, Gov. Newsom shutting down 85% of California, as several states go the Orwellian way of lockdown.”

However, Gov. DeSantis was quite voluble earlier this week, in contending that there would never be restrictions on restaurants again if he had anything to say about it.

“We just want to send the message, some may want to shut you down, we want to pull you up,” he said during a West Palm Beach media event, with restaurant industry workers on hand in support.

“You’re working folks who are working hard to make a living, and you can take it to the bank in the state of Florida, you’re going to have that right defended by the Governor,” DeSantis added.

During the same press event, the Governor vowed preemption measures against local leaders who had visions that diverged too far from his.

“If a local leader wants to put them out of work, you’re damned right I’m hobbling them from doing that,” DeSantis said Tuesday. “If they want to shut down businesses, I’m going to stand in the way. I’m going to stand with these folks here because they have a right to make a living and I don’t think government has a right to put these people out of work and not let them put food on the table for their family.”

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has written for FloridaPolitics.com since 2014. He is based in Northeast Florida. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


15 comments

  • S B ANTHONY

    December 16, 2020 at 10:32 am

    Free to die and kill your friends, neighbors, and communities.
    Jackasses.

  • Sonja Fitch

    December 16, 2020 at 11:30 am

    Omg tell this bitch to stfu! Desantis is the worst at every thing to do with serving and protecting Floridians from the trumpvirus! Desantis is willingly slaughtering Floridians! Get out Desantis! Desantis what are you going to tell your children in 10 years? That you willingly slaughtered Floridians ! Go to hell Desantis! Hell is one hour in an icu with covid patients! You want because you are chicken shit!

  • DisplacedCTYankee

    December 16, 2020 at 12:35 pm

    … [Florida] … “where the citizens have self-responsibility” –Macaninny

    Wow. A Floriduh native with an I.Q. in three numbers would know how ridiculous that sounds.

  • Frankie M.

    December 16, 2020 at 1:45 pm

    Florida’s a “free state” now? Tell that to all the convicted felons who can’t legally vote. Free to catch the coco & share it with all yo friends!

    Oh well ‘freedom isn’t free’ as the kids say. #itseasierhere

  • Bill D

    December 16, 2020 at 2:16 pm

    He is doing so well in Florida with the virus, he is lying about the number of deaths. He is in control of the numbers that is why they are lower than they should be. All the Republicans care about is getting rid of the people on SSI and welfare to save money.

  • PM

    December 16, 2020 at 11:37 pm

    Good for you, Governor DeSantis. How refreshing to see a governor respecting our constitutional rights. It is obvious that many in the shutdown states are coming here to make a living and send their children to school. Now that we have the vaccine we should be seeing herd immunity; good for our residents and for the people moving here for freedom to own a business, raise a family and educate their children….

  • PM

    December 16, 2020 at 11:39 pm

    Then LEAVE!! Go to Cali or NY….

  • Justin

    December 18, 2020 at 5:08 am

    I know how much the media hates bringing it up since it benefits both of the corrupt political parties, but Ron DeSantis has made it significantly harder for citizens to get amendments on the state ballot after 2020. How exactly does this make us “more free”? He TOOK AWAY the ability of THE PEOPLE OF FLORIDA to override the legislature/governor by placing amendments on the state ballot via petition then voting them into law. These amendments already require a 60% supermajority of voters to be approved, why does he feel he should have more power than 60% of voters in Florida? How is that “making us more free”? That is something Hitler would do, take away the power of the people and make it so the only way anything can get done is via POLITICIANS doing it! And what party has had a complete trifecta single party control of this state since 1998? The Republican Party of course.

  • K

    December 18, 2020 at 5:23 am

    This would be laughable if it weren’t so tragic. As a lifelong native Floridian who is one of those hard workers, I don’t want a shutdown. I want DeSantis to pretend to care. I don’t mind not having a statewide mask mandate, but handcuffing what local leaders are allowed to do in the middle of a pandemic because some of the proposed measures make you philosophically uncomfortable? That’s obtuse and downright callous. You can restrict them from instituting draconian shutdowns withouot hobbling their ability to protect their citizens. Half the time what DeSantis does isn’t a problem, it’s how he does it and the tone deaf knee-jerk defense and partisan sniping whenever criticized or questioned. He made Florida a “free state”? That’s so idiotic that uttering it might qualify one for entry in the Special Olympics. This is another aspect of both the Trump and DeSantis administrations that are just intolerable. Acting as though any of America’s political leaders has done a good job during this a pandemic is fundamentally dishonest. Many have genuinely tried to help the country, all have failed. Utterly and completely. Touting your own leadership while simultaneously thousands of people are dying every day is obscene and disgusting. DeSantis has literally done multiple premature “victory tours” at this point and they are (again) tone deaf and embarrassing. The constant need to pump up the administration with superlative language juxtaposed with the actual situation on the ground is incredible. Democrat, Republican, Independent – everyone has failed in the COVID response. New York has been no better nor worse than Florida. But the partisan posturing and tone deaf messaging needs to end.

  • Doug

    December 18, 2020 at 9:46 pm

    K you are the most long winded wind bag of the day why don’t you get a life. Desantis is the best gov we have ever had. And i should know. As a vet i bought a house in Sarasota in 1975,so don’t be a know it all and put out Bull S

  • KD

    December 19, 2020 at 9:17 am

    We love our Governor DeSantis! All you libtard demonrats need to move to another state if you don’t like how things are done here in Florida. Good riddens and let the door hit you on the way out!

  • Sonja Fitch

    December 19, 2020 at 10:17 am

    No you get out! Lol lol such juvenile bs is all these men can spew! Lol lol

  • Thomas Davis

    December 19, 2020 at 6:13 pm

    I see all the libatards are out to spew venom since their states are shut down. Covid is not a death sentence. Had it and no worse than a simple virus. I’m 80 and not afraid like the libertards that I read about. Hide and shut down if you like but leave the real men and Florida alone.

  • Tom

    December 19, 2020 at 7:50 pm

    Trump Sucker Whackeneney. And I don’t mean that in a sexual context, I mean she is a sucker, a fool, a woman who has hitched her career to a man she thought could advance that career. And she will do well enough, as long as there are enough other suckers around, probably run for some post in Florida and get it, but she will not be great, she will not be recognized by historians of the left or right as a true patriot, she will be just another sucker.

  • Tom

    December 19, 2020 at 7:51 pm

    Thomas Davis, do you speak for the dead?

Comments are closed.


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