Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’ office mocked Democrat President Joe Biden on Thursday after Biden responded to a question about DeSantis by asking “governor who? … that’s my response.”
DeSantis responded on Wednesday to an attack from Biden earlier in the week when Biden suggested that DeSantis “get out of the way.” In a fiery speech that went viral, DeSantis said that he was standing in Biden’s way in order to protect people’s freedoms.
Biden was asked about DeSantis’ remarks on Thursday afternoon, to which he responded, “governor who?”
Biden immediately broke out laughing as did others who were standing behind the camera that was recording the president, likely indicating that those who were laughing were reporters. Biden then added, “that’s my response.”
DeSantis Press Secretary Christina Pushaw responded to Biden’s remark by telling The Daily Wire: “It would be more convincing if he hadn’t spent the previous 2 days attacking DeSantis.”
“Guess he realized DeSantis isn’t the guy he wants to pick a fight with,” Pushaw added.
WATCH:
Here is the president responding to my question about @GovRonDeSantis using Biden's words against him to say DeSantis is "getting in the way" over COVID rules. President Biden: "Governor who?" Watch. pic.twitter.com/mmjznTsLcf
— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) August 5, 2021
Chad Gilmartin, communications aide for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), noted in a tweet responding to the incident that Biden’s remark comes after White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said earlier in the day that the situation regarding the pandemic was “too deadly serious to be doing partisan name-calling.”
.@PressSec today: “This is too serious, deadly serious, to be doing partisan name calling.”
President Biden, hours later, engages in partisan name calling: “Governor who?” https://t.co/85rA5doKsA
— Chad Gilmartin (@ChadGilmartinCA) August 5, 2021
Biden mocked Republican governors earlier this year as having “Neanderthal thinking” because they lifted mask mandates in their states.
“I think it’s a big mistake,” Biden said in a response to a question about the two states. “Look, I hope everybody’s realized by now these masks make a difference. We are on the cusp of being able to fundamentally change the nature of this disease because of the way in which we’re able to get vaccines in people’s arms. We’ve been able to move that all the way up to the end of May to have enough for every American, to get every adult American to get a shot.”
“The last thing, the last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking that in mean time everything’s fine, take off your mask,” Biden continued. “Forget it. It’s still matters. … And it’s critical, critical, critical, critical that they follow the science. Wash your hands, hot water, do it frequently. Wear a mask and stay socially distance. And I know you all know that, I wish the heck some of our elected officials knew it.”
NEW: President Biden calls Texas and Mississippi decisions to end mask mandates “a big mistake" and criticizes what he views as “Neanderthal thinking” after CDC warned against complacency in the face of emerging coronavirus variants on Monday. pic.twitter.com/Mmdln3gNG6
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 3, 2021