White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during Wednesday’s press briefing that Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis seems unwilling to participate in federal efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“Team Biden’s war on DeSantis is all about kneecapping a successful GOP governor,” read a recent New York Post headline. A reporter mentioned the issue during the briefing. (RELATED: ‘Deadly Serious’: Psaki Responds To DeSantis’ Comments Slamming COVID Restrictions)
“Could you address that concern please?” the reporter asked.
.@PressSec: “Our war is not on DeSantis, it’s on the virus, which we’re trying to kneecap, and he does not seem to want to participate in that effort.” pic.twitter.com/VS5J2znFFJ
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 11, 2021
Psaki denied that President Joe Biden is at war with the Florida governor and said they are actually at war with the virus. She claimed DeSantis was not interested in ending the pandemic.
“Our war is not on DeSantis, it’s on the virus, which we’re trying to kneecap. And he does not seem to want to participate in that effort to kneecap the virus, hence our concern.”
The Biden administration has repeatedly clashed with DeSantis over coronavirus pandemic policy. The White House has pushed for a more cautious approach and gone along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations when it comes to masking and other restrictions, while DeSantis has opted to keep Florida as open as possible.
DeSantis made headlines recently when he ripped the Biden administration over the border crisis and said that he would “stand in [the] way” of lockdowns, mask mandates and school closures.