‘This Is Ridiculous’: DeSantis Scolds the Masking ‘Theater’ Behind Him Ahead of Presser

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), with a stern and pointed tone, addressed the “ridiculous” nature of “COVID theater” ahead of his press conference at the University of South Florida on Wednesday, as many of those standing behind him were posing with masks.

The governor held a press conference at the university to announce investments in cybersecurity workforce education, but right before he took the podium, he could be heard speaking to the individuals behind him, many of whom were wearing masks.

The beginning of the governor’s livestream shows the popular conservative addressing a group of people standing behind the podium. DeSantis can be heard saying, “We’ve got to stop with this COVID theater. If you want to wear it, it’s fine, but this is ridiculous.” 

He then turned around, placed his binder on the podium, shook his head, and sighed before starting the press conference. At least four of the individuals in the background looked around, removed their masks, and smiled at the start of the press conference. 

WATCH:

DeSantis, who has championed liberty in his state, much to the dismay of lockdown leftists — many of whom have flocked to vacation in Florida anyway — has consistently questioned the so-called “science” behind mass masking and waged a war against leftists who sought to force schoolchildren to wear masks across the Sunshine State, contending that such decisions should be left to parents. He has also floated a “Workers’ Bill of Rights” to combat forced masking enforced by employers.

“Force-masking employees for the appearance of safety is not a sufficient justification. COVID theater has no place in Florida,” he said over the weekend in a video alongside Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, where they discussed Florida’s new coronavirus guidance, which “advises against wearing face coverings in a community setting” and states that Floridians “should not be forced to wear a mask at work.”

“People want to live freely in Florida, without corporate masking creating a two-tier society and without overbearing isolation for children,” DeSantis said. “We are empowering health care practitioners to follow science, not Fauci’s status quo.”