The White House is butting heads with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, undoubtedly aware of the looming possibility of a 2024 showdown. And it would appear that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris shouldn’t plan on sticking around for a second term.
After Biden told DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to “get out of the way of people who are trying to do the right thing,” DeSantis correctly noted Biden’s disposition in favor of coronavirus restrictions while the president is allowing thousands of people to enter the country through the southern border regardless of testing or vaccination status.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki then staked out a truly winning message: Florida is in the wrong because the state won’t force kindergarteners to wear a mask for seven hours a day, five days a week. DeSantis is apparently making the pandemic worse because he won’t force the least vulnerable population (and children are the least vulnerable when it comes to COVID-19) to jump through unnecessary hoops that do little to protect them and mostly serve to make COVID-hysterics feel comfortable.
Maybe the message isn’t so winning after all. DeSantis shepherded one of the states with the most residents over the age of 65 through the pandemic while refusing to embrace the excessive lockdowns of his counterparts. Despite having that large at-risk population, Florida’s death rate sits exactly in the middle of the country as the 25th highest. DeSantis has encouraged residents to get vaccinated repeatedly. Florida kept its schools open for the fall 2020 semester. DeSantis has done almost everything correctly throughout the pandemic.
Biden, meanwhile, is focused on keeping masks on vaccinated people and on 5-year-olds. Meanwhile, the government of McAllen, Texas, said that more than 7,000 coronavirus-positive migrants had been released into the city since February. In June, 55,000 family units were encountered at the border. Only 9,000 were expelled from the country.
Biden’s discordant approach to the virus occurs as his approval ratings continue to fall. Most people don’t think he will run again, meaning the torch would be passed to the ever-unpopular Harris. Barring disaster (or Republicans deciding they don’t like winning, which is certainly a possibility), DeSantis is the clear favorite to represent the GOP in 2024. If this is the best line of attack Biden has, he and Harris better have their move-out plans ready.
