DeSantis on 'Fox & Friends': Liberal governors were 'invested in lockdowns' not supported by science

close

Video

A day in the life of Gov. Ron DeSantis as Florida rebounds from COVID-19

Part 2: 'Fox & Friends' co-host Brian Kilmeade heads to Florida to spend the day with Gov. Ron DeSantis and his family.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that liberal governors and Democrat-run states were "invested in lockdowns" not supported by science, and asserted that reopening Florida helped the state rebound from coronavirus.

"Fox & Friends" co-host Brian Kilmeade went to Florida to spend the day with DeSantis and his family to discuss the governor's approach to the coronavirus pandemic and how vaccine distribution is working in the state.

When asked about Biden’s recent comment comparing red-state governors to Neanderthals, DeSantis said that if lockdowns were effective then Florida’s coronavirus numbers would be significantly worse than New York.

He added that New York has nearly double the per capita COVID mortality of Florida.

"I think that these guys are invested in lockdowns – I get that, the facts don’t support it," DeSantis said. "Look, if the lockdowns worked then Florida would be way worse than New York and these other states."

DESANTIS: FLORIDA TOOK 'EXACT OPPOSITE' APPROACH TO NEW YORK IN HANDLING COVID-POSITIVE PATIENTS

Video

DeSantis also said that restaurants in Florida are "thriving," while some other states are not allowing restaurants to operate at full capacity, if at all.

"I think the folks here – they really, really appreciate the way Florida’s approached [the pandemic]."

Florida received "a lot of opposition from the corporate media" for going "against the grain" on how states handled the coronavirus lockdown, DeSantis said recently before addressing CPAC. 

"But, our kids are in school. Parents are happy with that. Our economy is growing. People are working. And they were predicting economic doom, particularly for Florida, because we're a tourism base and our tourism isn't bad by any stretch," DeSantis said, adding that the Sunshine State is "getting huge revenue with no tax increases."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"We're going to have a budget surplus and we're clicking on all cylinders. We're doing more on the vaccines for the senior citizens. I would rather be in Florida than just about any other state right now," DeSantis said.

Fox News' Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.