Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is treating Dr. Anthony Faucis newly revealed pandemic-era insults as proof he was right to defy Washingtons Covid orthodoxy and keep Florida open.
The clash resurfaced after Faucis personal journal, stored on National Institutes of Health servers and later turned over to Senate Republicans, became public, revealing the longtime bureaucrats private contempt for one of the nations most prominent lockdown skeptics, according to Mediaite. Appearing on Fox News, co-anchor Bill Hemmer reminded DeSantis, You took a very contraryian position during Covid, and that was well-known, citing the governors decisions on the restaurants, bars, keeping schools open, keeping your state open not initially, but a few weeks into it.
Hemmer then read directly from Faucis diary, quoting an August 2021 entry: Besides being a total jerk he is causingpeople to die in his home state, followed just four days later by, Governor DeSantis is a complete disgrace. Hemmer pressed DeSantis on how he viewed Faucis retrospective spin on the pandemic, noting, Im sure insults dont bother you, but what did you make of how he presented his version of what happened?
DeSantis responded that the attacks only validated his stance, saying, Well, to the contrary. I think those are badges of honor to have him attacking me. And he was also doing it publicly, Bill.
The governor then laid out his recollection of the early Covid battles, emphasizing that he moved aggressively to keep children in classrooms despite pressure from federal health officials. I remember early in Covid I did an order to mandate schools be open. He was attacking us. He would come down to Florida and do hits on local news saying that we were doing it wrong, DeSantis said, adding that Fauci wanted to impose mandates on people at the local level. I blocked those governments from doing it.
DeSantis contrasted Floridas open beaches and holiday gatherings with what he described as Faucis silence on mass left-wing demonstrations. And, you remember he would attack Florida for having our beaches open, for example, or Memorial Day parties that people were doing. Thats what happens in Florida people go out and enjoy the scenery. But yet he was very quiet when you had those George Floyd protests. He wasnt talking about those people being locked down. He was very mute about it. So, to me it was clear pretty early on within probably a couple of months that he was practicing political science rather than evidence-based medicine.
That charge of political bias has long animated conservative criticism of Fauci, who became a symbol of heavy-handed federal guidance that clashed with the more freedom-oriented approach favored by leaders like DeSantis and President Donald Trump. Yet legacy media outlets have often rushed to defend Faucis consistency, pointing to statements that appear to apply the same standards to both left-wing protests and Trump campaign events.
On the specific question of the George Floyd protests, ABC News reported in 2020 that Fauci did, in fact, warn demonstrators about their risky actions and urged people either to stay home or mask up.
In an interview with ABC News Powerhouse Politics podcast, Fauci said he understands the urge people have to participate in the political process but that the safest bet is to avoid congregating in large groups, the report said.
Fauci cautioned that the danger extended to everyone involved in the unrest, not just law enforcement. Its a danger to the people who are trying to control the demonstration, [Fauci] said of the recent protests over the death of George Floyd. And its a danger to the people who are demonstrating. So at the end of the day, it is a risky procedure.
When pressed on whether that same warning applied to President Trumps campaign rallies, Fauci insisted that it did, replying, I am consistent. I stick by what I say. The enduring divide between Fauci and DeSantis now serves as a stark reminder of the broader national split over whether centralized public-health edicts or state-level, liberty-focused leadership best served Americans during the Covid crisis, a debate that continues to shape conservative skepticism toward unelected experts wielding sweeping power.
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