DeSantis Counterattacks Trump On Covid-19 Handling: 'His Whole Family Moved To Florida Under My Governorship'

Ron DeSantis has hit back at Donald Trump amid the former president's criticism of the governor's handling of COVID-19 in Florida.

What Happened: DeSantis, who recently joined the GOP presidential primaries race, when asked about Trump's latest comments on his handling of COVID-19 in Florida, said that the ex-president's "whole family" moved to Florida under his governorship, reported The Hill.

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"This is new," DeSantis said at a press conference, adding, "Six months ago, he would have never said that, right? He used to say how great Florida was."

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"Hell, his whole family moved to Florida under my governorship," he quipped.

This came after Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday and criticized his fellow Republican, saying that the Sunshine State had the third-highest number of deaths from COVID-19 in 2021. "So why do they say that DeSanctus did a good job? New York had fewer deaths! Also, he shut down the State, and even its beaches (unlike other Republican Governors)."

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Why It Matters: Trump has hurled a series of attacks on DeSantis as he joined the race to the White House last week in a turbulent launch with Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk. In a blatant attack, he called DeSantis "DeSanctimonious" and said the Florida leader "needs a personality transplant, and those are not yet available."

The overall results suggest that the ex-president holds a strong position in the GOP primary. The ex-president has consistently maintained a significant lead over DeSantis in various polls of GOP voters, with a double-digit margin.

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