Last updated on May 17th, 2023 at 06:13 am
During a keynote speech at a Republican event, Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis criticized former President Donald Trump’s reliance on Dr. Anthony Fauci during the COVID-19 pandemic. DeSantis emphasized the importance of a leader having the confidence to make tough decisions alone, even in difficult situations like COVID-19, which posed an existential threat to Florida, being the third-largest state in the country with a high percentage of the elderly population and an economy heavily dependent on tourism. He argued that leaders must take charge and not delegate their leadership to health bureaucrats like Dr. Fauci.
Dr. Fauci, who retired as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases last year, served on the White House Coronavirus Task Force in the Trump administration, where he helped to develop guidelines for Americans during the pandemic.
Tensions rose between Trump and Fauci during the pandemic, with Trump suggesting before the 2020 election that he may fire Fauci. In 2021, Trump criticized Fauci and his colleague, Dr. Deborah Birx, for their “bad policy decisions.” Fauci and Birx had conducted interviews with CNN for a documentary that year, prompting Trump to accuse them of trying to rewrite history to cover up their poor instincts and flawed recommendations.
Trump claimed that Fauci and Birx had made bad policy decisions that would have kept the country closed to reopening the economy and years away from having an approved vaccine, thereby putting millions of lives at risk.
Trump Solidifies Early Endorsement and Polling Lead Over De Santis, Other Potential 2024 Contenders
The Utah Republican Party’s 2023 organizing convention has invited Governor Ron DeSantis to deliver the keynote speech on Saturday, April 22. Although De Santis has not yet announced an official candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, it is expected that he will run, putting him in competition with former President Trump and several other Republican candidates for the nomination.
“Utah is one of the best-governed states in the United States,” DeSantis told the delegates in his speech. “Utah, like Florida, is where freedom works. Maybe Florida is the Utah of the southeast.”
In his speech, De Santis talked about his efforts to manage the pandemic in Florida and his ongoing dispute with Disney, while also criticizing what he referred to as “wokeness.”
In response, Trump stated, “You have Ron DeSantis from Florida, whom I endorsed and helped to win. He was at three points and going nowhere, but with my endorsement, he came out victorious. He was going to lose, and I endorsed him,” Trump said during the podcast.
Even so, Trump is still making use of endorsements and is leading in recent polls. This is advantageous for Trump’s election campaign and could give him an edge over DeSantis and other potential challengers in the upcoming 2024 US presidential election.
Trump is making public appearances to stay in the limelight. His high approval ratings among his base supporters, along with his status as a former President could make him a formidable candidate in the 2024 election. The poll results suggest that Trump’s base is still strong and supportive, and this could work in his favor as he considers running for President again.
The 2024 US presidential election is anticipated to be a highly competitive and closely watched contest, with many potential candidates jostling for positions. While Trump is currently leading in the polls, there is still a long way to go until the election, and his fortunes could change depending on a variety of factors. Although, his strong showing in the polls indicates that he remains a powerful and influential figure in US politics, his candidacy in the 2024 election is likely to be closely watched and analyzed by pundits and the public alike.