A maskless Ron DeSantis was spotted high-fiving members of the crowd at President Donald Trump’s rally yesterday in Sanford.
Despite a surge of new coronavirus cases over the last few weeks, multiple videos shared across social media show the Florida governor rubbing his nose after slapping hands with several members of the crowd. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people wash their hands before touching their faces.
But this isn’t the first time DeSantis has flaunted CDC guidelines. At a press conference in April, the Republican governor was also mocked for wearing a single rubber glove and periodically touching his face.
Who's here to help with the superspreading? YOU KNOW IT! pic.twitter.com/16yCxPUEtT
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) October 12, 2020
The video comes two weeks after DeSantis announced Florida would be moving into Phase 3 of reopening, allowing all restrictions on Florida restaurants and bars to be lifted. The death toll for Florida residents from COVID-19 reached 15,000 last Wednesday.
At the rally, thousands of Trump supporters stood shoulder-to-shoulder, many of them not wearing masks. In his speech, the president, who recently claimed he’s immune to COVID-19 after testing positive, boasted about the rally’s impressive turnout while mocking Democratic candidate Joe Biden for the size of his rallies.
In Trump’s speech, he praised DeSantis for his initiative to open up businesses and tourism. This was Trump’s first rally since being diagnosed with COVID-19 on October 2. Just hours before the rally began, Trump’s physician announced the president was no longer infectious after testing negative for consecutive days.
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This article appears in Oct 8-15, 2020.