DeSantis calls Trump's claims 'bizarre' as war of words between prez nomination seekers heats up

A day after Donald Trump claimed that 'even' former New York governor Andrew Cuomo handled the coronavirus pandemic better than California Governor Ron DeSantis, the latter has hit back.

DeSantis ripped into Trump by saying the claim was "very bizarre" as Cuomo was involved in the infamous nursing home scandal.

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“First of all, Florida had less excess mortality than California or New York. Part of that is because states like California had excess mortality derived from the lockdown policy, which is really, really avoidable mortality," said DeSantis in an interview withThe Daily Wire'sBen Shapiro.

“But if he thinks Cuomo handled it better, that’s an indication if something like this were to happen again, he would double down and do what he did in March of 2020,” he added.

"We all have to sit here today in 2023, look back on March of 2020 and say, 'Faucism was wrong. Faucism was destructive. Faucism has set us on this path with the CARES Act and the Fed printing money, creating inflation, and creating some of the economic problems that we have today."

"So, if you could do it again, would he do the same thing?" DeSantis added. "I sure hope not."

On Thursday, in an election video campaign, Trump said Florida had one of the highest numbers of deaths from COVID-19 in the country.

“How about the fact that he had the third most deaths of any state having to do with the China virus or COVID? Even Cuomo did better, he was number four,” Trump claimed.

However, DeSantis turned the tide when he asked if Trump would have doubled down on Cuomo's plan if he was given a do-over. During the early stages of the pandemic in March 2020, the democrat leader issued a highly troublesome executive order that forced nursing homes to admit COVID-19 patients so that hospital space could be freed and numbers not look catastrophic.

However, the move severely backfired as the senior citizens - termed the most vulnerable due to the virus, contracted it and died en masse. The policy remained in effect till May 10 before it was quietly withdrawn but not before it had caused the damage.

According to a study by Empire Centre for Public Policy, Cuomo's policy was possibly responsible for more than '1,000 death' as it allowed COVID-19 to spread among vulnerable seniors.

The New York State Health Department in a scathing report found that Cuomo had 'misled the public' and reported less death to save his image.

“While the Department’s duty is to act solely to promote public health, we determined that, rather than providing accurate and reliable information during a public health emergency, the Department instead conformed its presentation to the Executive’s narrative, often presenting data in a manner that misled the public,” read the report.

DeSantis joins White House race

The tussle between DeSantis and Trump is expected to grow after the Florida governor announced his presidential nomination candidature earlier this week.

DeSantis launched his 2024 presidential campaign, vowing to lead Americans into a new era of success and fight for their freedoms. Within the GOP, despite Trump's larger-than-life image, DeSantis remains the best hope for anti-Trump forces.

ALSO READ |Who is Ron DeSantis? All you need to know about Republican leader who joined White House race

Many within the GOP, in hushed voices, say they are not confident that Trump is the right person to usher in the new Republican era. There is a clear consensus that DeSantis will be a far better and more effective branch leader.

(With inputs from agencies)

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