In a surprising plot twist of political narrative, we’ve stumbled upon a time capsule from 2020, revealing a very different story about Ron DeSantis and Dr. Anthony Fauci than what we’ve been hearing lately.
For those not up-to-speed, DeSantis, Florida’s governor and the new kid on the block for the 2024 Republican race, has been engaging in an unexpected feud with ex-president Trump over Dr. Anthony Fauci’s role during the Covid-19 crisis. DeSantis, who once praised Fauci, has shockingly shifted his stance, claiming that Fauci’s leadership “destroyed millions of people’s lives” when Trump handed him the reins back in March 2020.
Cue the rewind. As we journey back to the tumultuous days of the early pandemic, we unearth a recording from a March 2020 briefing on Florida’s pandemic response, courtesy of CNN. This briefing showed DeSantis singing a harmonious, rather than dissonant, tune about Dr. Fauci. Praise flowed freely from DeSantis about the indefatigable workers leading America through the pandemic, including the very same Dr. Fauci he now criticizes.
“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,” DeSantis was quoted as saying.
Fast forward to now, this very governor – who is apparently suffering from a case of selective amnesia – has transformed from being one of the cheerleaders to one of the harshest critics of the same team he praised for their relentless efforts in 2020.
The contradiction is not only evident but also significant, as it exposes the divergence between DeSantis’s statements then and now. The once cooperative governor has now donned the cape of the contrarian. He claims that Florida alone “stood up, cut against the grain, took incoming fire from media, bureaucracy, the left, even a lot of Republicans, had schools open, preserved businesses.”
His bellicose narrative continued as he expressed the steps he would have taken if in Trump’s shoes, boldly stating, “If you are faced with a destructive bureaucrat in your midst like a Fauci, you do not empower somebody like Fauci. You bring him into the office and you tell him to pack his bags: You are fired.”
So, the question we’re left with is this: is DeSantis’ drastic shift in perspective a reflection of the pressures of the political arena, or is it merely a political maneuver meant to appease his base? Only time will tell. For now, we can just watch, wait, and wonder at the inconsistencies and evolving narratives in this political drama.
