Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has called former President Donald Trump’s remark about not knowing who gave Dr. Anthony Fauci a presidential commendation “pathetic” and nothing more than “drivel.”
President Trump made the assertion on the Megyn Kelly Show and was quickly denounced on social media by supporters of Gov. DeSantis for the apparent lie that he espoused.
“I don’t know who gave him the commendation. I really don’t know who gave him the commendation. Someone probably handed him the commendation,” said President Trump.
On January 19, 2021, Dr. Fauci along with Dr. Deborah Birx, as well as dozens of other recipients, received the president’s affirmation in an official White House declaration.
Gov. DeSantis, who decisively trails Trump in all the state and national public opinion polls, swung hard at Trump in what would be perceived as a political moment of truth because of the shortcomings and missteps his presidential campaign has endured.
“Was that the immaculate commendation that just happened to happen? It said ‘Donald Trump awards Fauci this commendation,’ so I thought it was really pathetic to sit there and listen to that drivel,” said DeSantis. “It is totally false/”
DeSantis obviously paraphrased how the commendation read.
Here is how the document was worded:
“Today, President Donald J. Trump awarded Presidential Commendations to the below individuals in recognition of their exceptional efforts on Operation Warp Speed”
Trump may not have come up with the idea of handing out commendations, but at the time he was the boss, and the buck always stops in the Oval Office.
Dr. Fauci and Birx, who lead the efforts to combat the COVID pandemic, have been butt of the jokes and criticisms about how effect (if at all) the COVID “vaccine” really was.
While Trump still swears by it, DeSantis has now become a skeptic and has continued to espouse his doubts on the effectiveness of the “jab,” as he calls it.
DeSantis took the “jab” and was one of the most outspoken proponents for Americans to get vaccinated, and in some instances, bragged that Florida was leading the way in COVID vaccine jabs.
But before he suggested,” Someone needs to grab that little elf and chuck him across the Potomac,” DeSantis fawned over Fauci in the spring of 2020, saying that he was “really doing a good job.”
“Someone needs to grab that little left and chuck him…”-@GovRonDeSantis on Fauci #FlPol #Florida pic.twitter.com/YmaOxQmcQB
— Javier Manjarres (@JavManjarres) August 24, 2022
Florida State Senator Jason Pizzo (D) responded to Team DeSantis social media posting criticizing Trump for not firing Fauci when he had the chance. Sen. Pizzo is considered one of Florida Democratic Party's rising political stars and could be positioning himself for a run statewide.
Ah, the revisionist history in politics. https://t.co/BcCF1RI9gV pic.twitter.com/DPgHXhRanW
— Sen. Jason Pizzo (@senpizzo) September 14, 2023
“You have a lot of people there who are working very, very hard, and they’re not getting a lot of sleep,” DeSantis said on March 25, 2020, at a briefing on Florida’s response. “And they’re really focusing on a big country that we have. And from Dr. Birx to Dr. Fauci to the vice president who’s worked very hard, the surgeon general, they’re really doing a good job. It’s a tough, tough situation, but they’re working hard.”
The 2024 Republican presidential cage match between DeSantis and Trump continues to heat up, and now “America’s Governor” has now begun to revert to the type of political name-calling and slights that Trump has been criticized for using.
The second GOP presidential debate is less than two weeks away and DeSantis would be pressured to outdo his past debate performance in order to hold the line against Trump.
