Story at a glance
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s election team is seeking to bolster funds and the governor’s public image with a series of collectible items bashing Anthony Fauci.
- Koozies are listed at $12 while t-shirts are going for $21.
- Other items feature campaign regalia styled similarly to former President Trump’s campaign flag and MAGA slogan.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) election team is seeking to bolster both campaign funds and the governor’s public image with a series of collectible items apparently bashing coronavirus restrictions and White House medical advisor Anthony Fauci.
T-shirts and beer koozies for sale on the governor’s campaign website feature the phrase “don’t Fauci my Florida,” The Washington Post first reported. A separate koozie directly attacks mask policies with a famous quote from DeSantis.
“How the hell am I going to be able to drink a beer with a mask on,” DeSantis said when he was asked about a photo showing him at the Super Bowl without a mask.
The koozies are listed at $12 while the T-shirts are going for $21. Other items feature campaign regalia styled similarly to former President Trump’s campaign flag and MAGA slogan. Blue DeSantis Flags saying “Keep Florida Free,” for example, are selling for $40.
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The campaign merchandise is part of DeSantis’s fundraising efforts for his 2022 gubernatorial reelection bid. Yet the Republican governor has emerged as a frontrunner for the party’s nomination for president in 2024, should he choose to run.
Neither DeSantis’s team nor Fauci responded to the Post’s request for comment.
Fauci expressed concern in Fall 2020 when Florida decided to keep schools largely open, saying at the time that “when you’re dealing with community spread, and you have the kind of congregate setting where people get together, particularly without masks, you’re really asking for trouble.”
“Now’s the time actually to double down a bit, and I don’t mean close,” Fauci said on ABC’s Good Morning America.
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DeSantis lifted all coronavirus restrictions in his state in May and banned businesses from requiring proof of vaccination. But DeSantis has encouraged the state’s residents to get vaccinated.
Florida is averaging more than 5,500 new daily cases, with a sharp uptick over the last 14 days, according to New York Times data. Statewide, the full vaccination rate is on par with the national average at 47 percent.
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