Frustrated that he needs a haircut and his baby can’t see her grandparents, Gov. Ron DeSantis this week gave a glimpse of how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting life in the governor’s mansion.
DeSantis, a father of three who has been traveling for his job, said the rest of his family has not left the mansion in Tallahassee since February --- with the exception of First Lady Casey DeSantis going to the hospital to give birth to Mamie in late March.
“Since she was born, and just in the last couple of weeks, it has occurred to me that none of my family has seen her. She has not been held by a single person in any of our families,” the governor said.
“The little things have really had an impression on me,” he added.
As the governor began to lay out his plan to reopen Florida’s economy, in an approach he says is data-driven and “measured,” he highlighted personal anecdotes in a show of empathy for hunkered-down Floridians.
“If there was some magic thing where I could flip the switch and say everything is fine, I would do it, trust me. It just doesn’t work that way,” he said. “We need to get there, and I would like to be in a situation where her (Mamie’s) grandparents can come see her.”
His family was not the only thing on the governor’s mind. His hair is also a point of frustration.
“I need it (haircut) worse than anything,” he joked. “I haven’t had a haircut since February.”
Although he wants a haircut, the governor on Wednesday maintained a prohibition on close-contact services like haircuts, styling or shaving.
As the governor tried to show solidarity with Floridians with scruffy hair, he took a jab at some reporters’ hairdos.
“It’s really interesting how some of these talking heads on TV, particularly the ones that don’t want anyone to go back to work, how come they always look so clean-shaved? They always look so nice and kept. How does that possibly happen if they’re not allowed to get a haircut? Gee, I wonder what they’re doing,” he said.
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