Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ramped up his Trump-like attacks on outgoing chief White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday, this time calling for someone to “grab” the 81-year-old infectious disease expert and “chuck him across the Potomac.”
During a stop on his “Keep Florida Free Tour,” DeSantis—often seen as a potential 2024 GOP presidential candidate—raged against Fauci for recently defending his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m just sick of seeing him! I know he says he’s gonna retire—someone needs to grab that little elf and chuck him across the Potomac,” the governor exclaimed to raucous cheers.
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DeSantis, who recently debuted a performative tough-guy “Top Gov” campaign ad with himself as “Maverick,” has long taken aim at Fauci to burnish his MAGA credentials.
Last year, for instance, he began hawking “Don’t Fauci My Florida” merch as coronavirus cases spiked in his state. Fauci, meanwhile, has been the target of countless death threats. A man who said he wanted to break every bone in Fauci’s “disgusting elf skull” was recently sentenced to three years in prison.
“Like the governor’s statement… is this question a joke?” Deputy Press Secretary Jeremy Redfern told The Daily Beast when asked about DeSantis’ remarks in light of ongoing threats to Fauci. He further suggested contacting the governor’s campaign if The Daily Beast “really believe this warrants a comment,” as he is “not able to comment on political matters.”
Redfern then tweeted out a screenshot of this reporter’s email with clown and globe emojis for a caption. The campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
