Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis trolled President Joe Biden while wishing him a “speedy” recovery from his COVID-19 diagnosis during his speech at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit on Friday.
The governor, a rising GOP star who is speculated to be a top 2024 presidential contender, said that while Biden is recovering from his illness, the public would need to recover from Biden’s presidency, including rampant inflation, stubbornly high gas prices, immigration, and other woes.
FLORIDA DEMOCRATS PAINT DESANTIS AS ‘DICTATOR’ AND ‘A DISASTER’ IN PRIMARY DEBATE
“I must say he did test positive for COVID,” DeSantis said. “And I want to, on the behalf of the state of Florida, wish President Biden a speedy recovery from COVID. And I also want to wish the United States of America a speedy recovery from Joe Biden.”
Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday after seemingly avoiding the virus for the duration of the pandemic until that point. The president has received treatment and is working in isolation as he recovers from the virus, according to White House staff.
“He came in and cranked the printing presses, kneecapped American energy, and he also opened our southern border,” DeSantis said. “And what we’ve seen in the last year and a half is the largest illegal migration into this country in the history of the United States of America. We have record human trafficking, we have record sex trafficking, and we have record drug trafficking.”
DeSantis also touted his management of Florida, recalling how his state refrained from heavy pandemic suppression measures during the thick of the pandemic and also listed off the greatest hits of his culture war battles, including his support for the controversial Parental Rights Act and measures aiming at curbing “wokeness” in public schools.
The Florida governor predicted that Republicans would retake the House in the midterm elections, adding his name to a growing list of politicos who are expecting a red wave to transpire.
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After the midterm elections, the national political focus will likely shift to 2024, something for which DeSantis has been rumored to be a top contender. At the summit, other speculated 2024 hopefuls, including Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO), also gave speeches. Biden himself has maintained that he will run for a second stint at the White House despite lackluster polling and whispers of consternation among Democrats.
DeSantis, who first ascended to the governorship in a razor-thin 2018 election, is vying for a second term as governor. His top prospective Democratic rivals include Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and former Rep. Charlie Crist.
