Trump Contrasts with DeSanti’s Latest COVID Vaccine Action

• DeSantis asked for a grand jury to launch a probe into the life-saving COVID-19 shot.
• He was once a strong advocate for vaccines, but he has become less convinced over time. 
• These actions are in stark contrast to Trump’s pandemic policy. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis intensified his attacks against the COVID-19 vaccines Tuesday in a move that allowed the Republican governor to contrast his pandemic record and that of former President Donald Trump.

DeSantis, speaking from a West Palm Beach studio, held a 90 minute roundtable with COVID vaccine experts and asked the Florida Supreme Court if it would set up a grand jury to investigate “crimes or wrongdoings” related to COVID-19 shots. The COVID-19 shots are life-saving vaccines that can be used to fight not only Trump but also President Joe Biden.

DeSantis’ pandemic policies have been a major political rallying call since 2020. He rejected the advice of federal health officials that schools and businesses in Florida be reopened before all other states, and he also banned Biden’s mask and vaccine mandates.

Should DeSantis enter the 2024 presidential contestTrump’s record-breaking launch of the COVID-19 vaccines is one example of Trump’s potential for the governor to highlight his differences with Trump. 

Although DeSantis has not directly criticised Trump or stated whether he plans to run for the presidency, his most recent announcement was made geographically close to Mar-a-Lago. This is the estate and private club on the oceanfront where Trump lives in Palm Beach. 

DeSantis holds major announcements at places that carry subliminal messages. In an apparent nod to the anti Biden chant “Brandon”, DeSantis has publicly called Biden “Brandon”.Let’s Go, Brandon” and last year signedBrandon, Florida – A bill that banned mandated vaccines in workplaces. 

Trump, on the other hand, has been much more open in attacking DeSantis. Trump attacked DeSantis immediately after the election because he had endorsed the governor four year ago, helping him to win the GOP nomination.

He called DeSantis, “DeSanctiminious”, saying that governors who do not announce their vaccine status are “abnormal”.gutless.” Many news outlets took the comment to be a dig at DeSantis, who hasn’t revealed whether he received a COVID-19 boost shot. 

It is unclear if Trump will learn from his success in COVID-19 vaccinations through Operation Warp Speed. Dr. Paul Offit, an infectious disease expert at Children’s Hospital Philadelphia, said Trump should “take bows over the vaccines”, calling it “the greatest scientifically and medical advance in my life.”

He said that Republicans shouldn’t feel the need to “distain themselves from it”, and added that he couldn’t understand why Trump didn’t brag more about it. 

Offit joked that Trump’s eponymous buildings are what he is. 

A new poll shows that DeSantis leads Trump 

Numerous signs indicate that Trump could be a liability with Operation Warp Speed. Trump supporters have booed when Trump encourages them to get the vaccine. 

DeSantis, on the other hand, is considered one of Trump’s most formidable adversaries in a hypothetical presidential matchup. In a USA Today-Suffolk University pollDeSantis was 23 points ahead of Trump in a poll released Tuesday.

If the governor decides to run for president, he will need to contrast himself against Trump. News outlets, Democrats — and even many Republicans — frequently portray DeSantis as similar to Trump. 

Insider reports that several GOP operatives see Trump’s pandemic policies in a potential area to attack Trump from the right. first reportedSeptember

“Pushing back is a win for DeSantis. It ensures accountability on any COVID-related matter,” GOP strategist John Thomas, who founded a pro-DeSantis Super PACInsider was informed by. “This issue also serves a reminder to Americans that he made the right decisions during COVID and fought back against vaccine mandates. 

Trump’s pandemic policies are often mocked by the Biden government. Trump did not shut down the US at first, and his administration provided guidance on wearing masks.

Insider was told by Steven Cheung, Trump’s campaign spokesperson, that Trump’s government had “worked tirelessly” to secure medical equipment, and that he allowed each state the right to decide what was best for its residents. DeSantis was not mentioned by him in his response. Instead, he accused Biden for failing to “continue the Trump administration’s successes that he inherited,” pointing out that more people have died from COVID-19 while Biden was in office than Trump. 

He said that Operation Warp Speed was a unique opportunity that allowed people to use therapeutics if they wanted.

DeSantis was directly criticised by other Trump supporters. Alex Bruesewitz (CEO of political consulting firm X Strategies) criticized DeSantis’ actions calling them “revisionist history.” 

Insider was told by DeSantis that, “Facts be damned,” this is what career politicians should expect when trying to climb the political ladder. “Ron DeSantis was Florida’s largest vaccine advocate when it was ‘good PR’. Now, as he attempts to position himself for his next campaign he is reinventing reality and hoped no one will notice. This is typical political opportunism. However, MAGA voters will not be easily manipulated.”

DeSantis established a new group in public health

DeSantis held events in Florida to promote COVID vaccination uptake and prioritize older adults. However, he later had vaccine skeptics present at several events and offer health advice that was inconsistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For example, the FDA has approved the bivalent booster by the CDC for use in patients as young as 6 months of ageIt all depends on the COVID-19 vaccinations a person has received in the past. Florida’s state health agency has urged healthy children not to get the shots. Similar guidance is provided by countries like Sweden and Denmark. 

After being sworn-in on January 3, DeSantis said that he plans to go even further in his second term. Tuesday’s announcement by the governor was that he intends to push the state legislature. pass a lawTo block hospitals from accepting medical licenses from doctors who are openly supportive of COVID-19 mitigation. 

He has asked Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo to start a surveillance system with the University of Florida in order to investigate sudden deaths among people who received the COVID shot. Ladapo also needs to lead a “Public Health Integrity Committee”. The committee will issue guidance regarding COVID vaccines as well as other healthcare matters. 

Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford University professor in medicine, is one of the members. Bhattacharya was at the roundtable and has been featured in the news after Bari Weiss, a conservative journalist, revealed that Twitter had reduced the visibility of his tweets as he opposed COVID lockdowns.

DeSantis offered some clues regarding Tuesday’s grand jury investigation. DeSantis criticized CDC guidance, which initially and incorrectly stated that people could not be infected by the coronavirus if they were vaccinated. He also accused the government of downplaying vaccine side effect such as myocarditis (an inflammation of the heart muscle) in teenagers and young men.

DeSantis stated, “I believe people want the truth” and “people want accountability.” “You need to conduct a thorough investigation into what happened.”

He said that the pharmaceutical industry was misleading him about the vaccine. A grand jury would have legal processes to obtain more information and hold those responsible accountable. 

The DeSantis roundtable focused on Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines, and not the Johnson & Johnson vaccine which has shown in rare cases to be linkedThis could lead to an increase of blood clots. Roundtable participants repeatedly stressed the safety of other non-COVID vaccines. 

Moderna did no respond to Insider’s inquiries about DeSantis’ latest announcement. Sharon Castillo (a spokesperson for Pfizer) defended the COVID-19 vaccinations’ effectiveness in an email to Insider. She stated that they’d saved “hundreds upon thousands of lives” and allowed people to live more easily. 

According to an estimate by the CDC, vaccines prevented more 18 million hospitalizations and 3,000,000 additional deaths. the Commonwealth Fund.

Castillo stated that many regulatory agencies had approved the vaccine after a thorough and independent review of the scientific data on safety, quality, and efficacy. He also said that real-world evidence continues to prove that vaccines prevent severe illness. 

Offit, who was a consultant to the CDC on vaccines said that he didn’t believe DeSantis understood the regulatory process. He added that companies must submit all data to the Food and Drug Administration whenever they apply for approval. The CDC then goes on to make recommendations for who should get the shot, and outcomes from vaccines get tracked in several places — which is how scientists now know about the myocarditis and blood clotting side effects in some people.

Offit stated, “I don’t know what he’s talking about.” “His whole point is that data are being hidden. You need this supervisory system for integrity.” The system is reliable.” 

Offit is, however, different from the CDC in that it states that at this point, he does not seeThe CDC data support encouraging young healthy people to get another COVID-19 vaccine booster shot. He said that boosters should be directed at people who are most at risk of being hospitalized. 

Offit explained that DeSantis was asking a fair question about the booster for kids, but Offit said that when he makes false claims about safety, he loses credibility.