Florida’s Top Democrat Floats Theory That Ron DeSantis ‘Probably’ Had Covid and Covered it Up

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D) — the only Florida Democrat who currently holds statewide office — is claiming that Governor Ron DeSantis (R) “probably” had the coronavirus last year and tried to keep it a secret from the public.

Fried appeared on The Daily Beast’s “New Abnormal” podcast for a broad-range interview, during which host Molly Jong-Fast asked her about Florida’s covid vaccine rollout. After saying DeSantis “never had a plan” to coordinate the rollout, Fried speculated about a three week period in November when the governor never made any public appearances.

“My take is that he probably had covid and didn’t want to tell people,” Fried said.

The Florida Democrat went on to hammer DeSantis’ handling of vaccines while referencing the allegations that he prioritized vaccine distribution to benefit wealthy donors.

Fried further suggested that DeSantis is taking cues from former President Donald Trump

“I’m sure that [DeSantis] is consistently calling the president and I’m sure the president’s wealthy friends in the state of Florida are asking for the vaccines, and so they’re getting it delivered to them.”

Fried’s claim against DeSantis comes weeks after a New York Times ran a report saying Trump’s prognosis was much worse than what his administration let on last year after he was diagnosed with covid. The White House was reportedly worried that Trump was in serious condition, and that he would need to be put on a ventilator once he got to Walter Reed.

Listen above, via The Daily Beast. (The relevant portion begins at the 26:00 mark.)