Gov. Ron DeSantis hit back against a CNN reporter who pressed him on “what has gone wrong” with getting coronavirus vaccines to Floridians.
“Governor, what has gone wrong with — governor, what has gone wrong with the rollout of the vaccine that we’ve seen phone lines jammed, web sites crashing, and …” CNN correspondent Rosa Flores asked DeSantis Monday during a press event.
“There’s a lot of demand. I mean, I think at the end of the day …” the governor responded before Flores interjected to finish her question.
The two went back and forth before DeSantis said, “So, are you going to give a speech, or are you going to ask a question?”
“I’m trying to finish my question,” Flores said.
“No, you are giving a speech; you asked a question,” he said.
The two continued to go back and forth about why CNN should get to ask three questions, while reporters from other outlets only got to ask one question.
“My full question is, what went wrong with the rollout of the vaccine when we’ve seen phone lines jammed, websites crashed, and …” Flores pressed.
“So, you’re repeating your question,” DeSantis said.
Flores then asked about websites that crashed and seniors waiting overnight to receive the vaccine.
“Because we distributed the vaccines to the hospitals, and the hospitals said, first come, first served, if you show up, we’ll do it. So, you didn’t use a registration system. There wasn’t anything that was done, and there’s a lot of demand for it. So, people are going to want to go ahead and get it,” DeSantis answered.
Last week, DeSantis said he is prioritizing people who need the coronavirus vaccine instead of him receiving it immediately because he’s an elected official.
“What I’ve said is, I’m willing to take it, but I am not the priority. … I’m under 45, and so the people under 45 are not gonna be the first in line for this. And so when it’s my turn, I will take it. This is who I want to be vaccinated, my parent, our grandparents to be able to get it,” he said Wednesday. “Granted, I’m an elected official, but whoop-de-do. At the end of the day, let’s focus on where the risk is.”
