Sun-Sentinel by Anthony Man and Marc Freeman
April 28, 2020
Gov. Ron DeSantis, appearing Tuesday in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump, said he would present his plan for reopening Florida on Wednesday.
His month-long stay home order runs through Thursday.
DeSantis repeated some of the same messages that he’s been using at recent appearances throughout the state. The reopening, he said, would be done in a “measured thoughtful and data driven way.”
He defended his decision to impose a stay-at-home order later than some other governors and touted the results of his “tailored” and “measured” approach, which he contrasted to “draconian” measures taken by some other governors.
“Everyone in the media was saying Florida was going to be like New York or Italy and that has not happened,” the governor said.
DeSantis said Florida’s coronavirus fatality rate is lower than people expected, lots of tests are being performed in the state, and “our ability to test exceeds the current demand.”
The two Republicans are close political allies. Trump gave DeSantis a big boost in his 2018 campaign for governor and DeSantis has been one of the president’s most loyal supporters.
Trump said Tuesday that DeSantis is doing a “spectacular job,” explaining to White House reporters that the governor “enjoys very high popularity.”
Polling shows that DeSantis’ one sky-high popularity has slipped since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
