ORLANDO, Florida – High-profile speakers at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday and Saturday protested against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and leading U.S. epidemiologist Anthony Fauci, harshly criticizing the way they handled pandemic.
They compared how Cuomo and Fauci addressed the pandemic and how Florida Governor Ron DeSantis did it. DeSantis has been one of the most suspicious governors of pandemic-related blockades and restrictions, while Cuomo and Fauci advocate more restrictions in order to stem the spread of the virus that killed more than 500,000 Americans.
“You know, Governor, some of your colleagues get Emmies for acting,” said President of the American Conservative Union, Matt Schlapp, when introducing DeSantis, who opened the conference. He was referring to Cuomo, who won an Emmy last year for his instructions on the coronavirus.
“We are happy to be in a state that has a governor who deserves the People’s Choice Award,” added Schlapp.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference to discuss the first positive case of a new coronavirus or COVID-19 in New York State on March 2, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images)
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DeSantis did not mention Fauci or Cuomo, but characterized Florida as an “oasis of freedom”.
Other keynote speakers hammered Cuomo more explicitly, including Donald Trump Jr., who delivered the most visible speech on Friday.
“Imagine if Ron DeSantis did what Cuomo did in the past two years. He wouldn’t get an Emmy, he would be in prison,” said Trump Jr. “Credible accusations of harassment have been swept under the rug, verbal harassment swept under the rug, hide DOJ evidence swept under the rug, no problem. Give him an Emmy! Remember Fredo when he was talking about it for months? so quiet these days! Why isn’t Fredo talking about these things now? “
Deputy Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Also hammered Cuomo. The incendiary congressman has become one of the biggest advocates for the removal of Republicans, seen as disloyal to former President Donald Trump. Gaetz received a standing ovation that lasted more than four minutes after his Friday speech.
“The fake news media and its allies in Silicon Valley have made Governor Cuomo an iconic cross between King David and Tom Brady,” said Gaetz. “What a big lie that turned out to be. According to former advisers, Governor Cuomo was offering to replace team meetings with strip poker.”
In this archive photo from December 22, 2020, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks before receiving his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. (AP Photo / Patrick Semansky, Pool, File)
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“In the meantime, they took Grandma out of COVID’s hospital ward and threw her into the nursing home, just long enough to infect everyone, and then returned to the hospital so that the deaths could be recategorized for politics,” he added. . “How about we abandon confinement governors like Cuomo and Newsom ad Murphy and never abandon the American lifestyle and the American spirit.”
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, meanwhile, attacked Fauci and Cuomo. She saw her profile increase within the GOP for reasons similar to DeSantis. She refused to block her state, keeping schools open and the economy running.
“We never focused on case numbers. Instead, we kept an eye on the hospital’s capacity,” said Noem. “Dr. Fauci told me that I would have 10,000 COVID patients in the hospital on our worst day. On our worst day, we had just over 600. I don’t know if you agree, but Fauci is very wrong!”
Donald Trump Jr. gives an interview in the media queue at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Friday, February 26, 2021, in Orlando, Florida (AP Photo / John Raoux)
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She added, in Cuomo: “At one point, I appeared on George Stephanopoulos’ Sunday show. He had just ended a segment with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and asked Cuomo to give me advice on how to deal with COVID. “
“This is the media hero COVID,” added Noem, referring to the scandal-ridden governor. “So, who really needed the advice?”
Cuomo denies sexual assault charges against him. He also claimed that his government was following federal guidelines when placing coronavirus patients in nursing homes, although it did not stop sending elderly patients back home until well after the federal guidelines changed.
Fauci and his supporters said that his recommendations about the virus, which did not exist before 2019, have evolved as Americans’ understanding of the virus has evolved. They also say that the strict recommendations reflect the large number of deaths that the virus is capable of causing and has already caused.
Many at CPAC complained about the on-site masking rules, which are not in effect because of DeSantis, but because of Orange County, Florida, and Hyatt, where the conference is being held. Some are wearing mesh masks or simply breaking the masking rules. Meetings outside the CPAC conference include large crowds with very few people wearing masks.
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The CPAC is set to end on Sunday, when Trump will deliver the keynote address. He will try to emphasize that he is still the party leader, as many of his allies have said in previous speeches and interviews.
But the way DeSantis handled the pandemic has improved his profile so much that many people at CPAC are predicting that it will be him and not Trump who will be the Republican Party’s candidate for 2024.
Fox Nation is a sponsor of CPAC.
Fox News Alexandra Rego, Joseph A. Wulfsohn and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.