The White House denied on Wednesday it was waging political war on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a possible 2024 Republican presidential contender leading a battleground state, despite its increasing public criticisms.

“Our war is not on DeSantis; it’s on the virus, which we are trying to kneecap,” press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at Wednesday’s White House briefing. “He does not seem to want to participate in that effort to kneecap the virus. Hence our concern.”