Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis took the road Tuesday night in his response to CNN host Brianna Keilar, who called him “a donkey” for scolding a reporter from the same network after she showed up to blame him for problems with coronavirus vaccine distribution in local hospitals.
“You know what, I’m not looking for media validation,” DeSantis told “Tucker Carlson Tonight”. “What I’m looking for is to support the citizens of my state, and I can’t tell you, as the pandemic has passed, how many times has someone come to me with tears in their eyes saying, ‘If it weren’t for you, my son wouldn’t be in school and I wouldn’t have my job. ‘
“That’s why I’m in this job,” he added.
Keilar’s attack on the governor was prompted by an angry discussion between DeSantis and CNN reporter Rosa Flores during a press conference on Monday after Flores shouted: “Governor, what went wrong with the launch of the vaccine that we saw lines congested phone numbers, websites crashing? “
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DeSantis replied that there is “a lot of demand” as Flores continued to talk about him.
“Excuse me, excuse me, did you just say, ‘What went wrong?’ so I’m answering the question, “interrupted DeSantis.
“If I could complete the question, however,” Flores started.
“So are you going to give a speech or are you going to ask a question?” DeSantis fired back. “You asked a question and I will answer it.”
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Flores then accused DeSantis of not having a plan to ensure that the elderly do not have to wait in long lines for the vaccine.
DeSantis criticized the CNN reporter for not researching the issues raised in her question. He said the coronavirus vaccine was distributed to hospitals and hospitals decide how to dispense it.
DeSantis told Carlson on Tuesday that he uses media scrutiny as a “medal of honor”, calling it an indication of his state’s success in reopening schools and businesses safely, while maintaining a low COVID-19 mortality rate in the entire state.
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“I think it is very clear that some of these networks obviously have agendas,” he said. “They are no longer trying to report the facts. It’s all about spinning all the narratives that they think can get ratings and that’s just the reality of the situation, so it doesn’t affect me.”
The governor promised “to continue to keep his eyes on the ball and work as hard as we can to get results”.
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Carlson said he believed the leftist media was renewing interest in the governor because “they think you will be the Republican candidate. That’s why they are attacking you,” he said.
DeSantis did not respond directly to Carlson’s comment, but confirmed that he “will be the governor-nominee in 2022 here in Florida”, adding that “it seems[s] looking forward to participating in that race. “
Brian Flood of Fox News contributed to this report.