Another week, another series of bad headlines for two Florida men vying for control of the Republican Party. After recent reporting detailing the growing rift between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump, a new article from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune highlights that DeSantis is receiving increased flack from Trump world after he voiced his regret over not being a “louder” critic of how the former president handled the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an interview with the Herald-Tribune, prominent Trump surrogate Chris Christie told the governor he had to be careful being “too cute playing politics” and explained that if DeSantis just “told the truth” he would be “much better off.”
Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Gov. DeSantis dodges COVID-19 booster shot question again, even as Trump says not answering is ‘gutless’
By: Zac Anderson | January 21, 2022
Key Points:
- “Gov. Ron DeSantis again declined Friday to say whether he received the COVID-19 booster shot, even after his mentor, Donald Trump, called politicians who dodge the booster question ‘gutless.’”
- “DeSantis called his booster status a ‘private matter’ during an event in Sarasota, despite having revealed details of his vaccination status in the past.”
- “Trump drew attention to the governor’s booster status last week, making the “gutless” comment in an interview with One America News. The former president seemed to be reacting to DeSantis’s equivocating when asked about his booster status during a Fox News interview in December.”
- “Trump later told OAN that politicians should be forthright about their booster status. ‘I watched a couple politicians be interviewed and one of the questions was, ‘Did you get a booster?’ Because they had the vaccine and they’re answering like — in other words, the answer is ‘yes’ but they don’t want to say it, because they’re gutless,’ Trump said.”
- “‘You gotta say it,’ Trump added. ‘Whether you had it or not, say it.’”
- “Asked about DeSantis deflecting on the booster shot question, former New Jersey governor and GOP candidate for president Chris Christie said during an interview this week with the Herald-Tribune that politicians who try to get ‘too cute can get themselves in trouble.”
- ‘I would just say this as a general observation: when you get too cute playing politics it can often come back to bite you, so just tell the truth and you’d be much better off,’ Christie said.”
Read the full report here.
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Published: Jan 25, 2022 | Last Modified: Jan 28, 2022