Don Lemon Goes Off on Ron DeSantis’ Anti-Mask ‘Bullshit’: ‘These are People Who Didn’t Have to Die’
CNN anchor Don Lemon went off on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over the latest anti-mask rhetoric to emanate from the epicenter of the Delta surge.
On Wednesday night’s edition of Don Lemon Tonight, the host took part in his first segment to talk about the dire situation, telling viewers “hospitals in hotspots across the country are full to capacity. People are dying, needlessly. Even though we have all the vaccines we could possibly ever need, even though we could be protecting children who are too young to be vaccinated simply by wearing masks.”
He then played a clip of President Joe Biden’s speech decrying politicians “trying to turn public safety measures that as children wearing masks in school into political disputes for their own political gain, some even trying to take power away from local educators by banning masks in school.”
“It shouldn’t be about politics,” Lemon said. “The president is right, some governors are putting their own political gain ahead of children’s lives, really of their constituents’ lives.”
“Like Texas Governor Greg Abbott who issued an executive order banning school districts from requiring masks, and tested positive for COVID-19 the day after he attended this crowded indoor Republican club meeting, apparently not wearing a mask,” Lemon said, referencing Abbott’s recent diagnosis.
“And then there is Ron DeSantis. You can always count on him to try to turn a deadly disease into an applause line,” Lemon said, and then played remarks DeSantis made at an event Wednesday:
“Politicians want to force you to cover your face as a way for them to cover their own asses. That’s just the truth. They want to be able to say they are taking this on and they’re doing this even though it’s not proven to be effective they want to continue to do it.”
“God, that is just such bunk, or just to say this is bullshit, really? Just call it what it is,” Lemon said following the clip.
“They want to protect the kids, governor. What do you want?” Lemon asked DeSantis, to camera. “The CDC and the AMA both agree that masks reduce the transmission of the virus, but DeSantis reacted to the Miami-Dade schoolboard’s vote today in favor of a mask mandate with the statement, pushing the same old misguided bad faith view of freedom.”
Lemon went on to add that “This has nothing to do with freedom, and rhetorically asked “How is it freedom to force children who are too young to be vaccinated into schools where they could be exposed to a deadly virus surrounded by people not wearing masks? Putting politics ahead of lifesaving science? Like those governors are encouraging people to do?”
“It is just depraved. People are dying all across this country, people with loved ones who are grieving tonight. These are people who didn’t have to die. Their loss is a very preventable tragedy,” Lemon said.
Watch above via CNN.
