Montana Governor Greg Gianforte said President Biden “has degraded” after comments he made comparing governors of red states to those of Neanderthals.
Gianforte explained that hospitalizations have declined and Montana is “open for business” during an appearance on “Fox & Friends”, saying that a “one size fits all” approach to coronavirus mandates “makes no sense” for the needs of all states.
“For a president who called for unity to degrade himself from cursing, it makes no sense,” Gianforte told Steve Doocy.
Gianforte said that by removing the mask from the mandate and prioritizing resources for the most vulnerable, the state is getting “great results”.
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As an example of the impracticality of continuing masking mandates for the western state, Gianforte added that of the state’s 56 counties, one county is almost three times the size of Rhode Island, with only 1,000 residents.
The president has received criticism from many prominent Republicans, including R-Fla Sen. Marco Rubio.
“President Biden’s use of an old stereotype is detrimental to Europeans, Asians and modern Americans who inherit about 2% of their genes from Neanderthal ancestors,” wrote Rubio, who posted a link to an article in Thursday’s tweet. .
Rubio suggested that Biden “seek training on unconscious prejudice” and asked the president to “apologize for his insensitive comments”.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Biden’s border immigration policies were “Neanderthal thinking” and accused the president of releasing illegal immigrants to the state, unnecessarily exposing Texas residents.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the comment on President Biden’s “Neanderthal thinking” about states removing their mask mandates was due to his “frustration and exasperation”.
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Biden also appeared to clarify his statement, claiming that he was speaking for the governors’ decision making, not that he was actually calling them Neanderthals. Gianforte echoed Abbott’s criticisms of Biden’s border policies.
“In Montana, we are concerned about the meth that crosses the border. It is separating our families and communities. And opening up those borders, it just isn’t good for our communities here in Montana, ”he said.
Houston Keene and Joshua Q. Nelson from Fox News contributed to this report.