DeSantis Rips Biden for ‘Obsession’ with COVID Mandates as Afghanistan, US Border ‘Burn’

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday warned governors opposing COVID-19-induced mask requirements for children in schools that they could be slapped with lawsuits from the Department of Education after Republican governors in Florida and Texas rejected the recommendations by health authorities.

Joe Biden's warning that legal action would be taken against states refusing to impose school mask mandates amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic have been slammed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as a case of “obsession” and wrong priorities.

“You have all the stuff going on with Afghanistan – obviously all the stuff at the southern border...one of the biggest border disasters in the history of our country, inflation, gas prices, and what does he do. He is obsessed with having the government force kindergarteners to wear masks all day in school,” said DeSantis on Fox News' Hannity on Wednesday.

“Where are your priorities,” asks DeSantis after complaining about the President’s comments on masks pic.twitter.com/abZyy3spb5

— Acyn (@Acyn) August 19, 2021

Earlier, while not specifically mentioning DeSantis, Joe Biden in his comments in a White House address appeared to target the governor. As the United States is facing a resurgence of Covid-19 cases, blamed on the fast-spreading Delta variant of the virus, Biden said:

"Unfortunately... some politicians are trying to turn public safety measures - that is, children wearing masks in school - into political disputes for their own political gain. They're setting a dangerous tone."

DeSantis signed an executive order banning Florida schools from forcing children to wear face masks last month. On Hannity, the Republican governor reiterated that in his state they believed it was up to the parents to make the decision on masking their children when they return to the classrooms.

“Joe Biden thinks the federal government should come in and overrule the parents and force these young kids to wear these masks… I mean, you gotta wonder, where are your priorities that you're so obsessed with this issue and so obsessed with taking away parents' rights?” queried the governor.

According to DeSantis, 42, the administration of the Democratic president ought to be more preoccupied with the current developments in Afghanistan, after the speedy US and NATO troops withdrawal opened the door for Taliban* Islamist group to reclaim control of the country.

“When you're leaving thousands of Americans to fend for themselves behind enemy lines, that matters. When you're leaving billions of dollars in military equipment for our enemies to just take, that matters. It's going to make that area a disaster,” he stated on Hannity.

Up to 15,000 Americans are to be swiftly evacuated ahead of an August 31 deadline, with the Taliban currently controlling entry to Kabul's Hamid Karzai Airport.

People wait outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan August 17, 2021.

© REUTERS / STRINGER

Furthermore, the White House is facing a festering crisis at the US southern border, where it has encountered an "unprecedented" number of migrants illegally crossing over.

“And you're letting Afghanistan burn, our border burn, and so many other things in our country fall to pieces,” fumed DeSantis, who is facing a 2022 gubernatorial re-election and has been touted as a likely 2024 Republican presidential candidate. He added that America’s adversaries could see that Biden, is not somebody who's “capable of leading with conviction and leading on the world stage”.

Levelling scathing criticism at the US president, who again refused to take questions from the press corps about Afghanistan, he warned that US adversaries would do “everything they can, as long as he's president, to take advantage of that, and I think we're in for a rocky three-and-a-half years as long as he's president.”

On Wednesday, President Biden revealed a new pro-mask policy, saying he had directed his Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to use “all of his oversight authorities and legal actions, if appropriate, against governors who are trying to block and intimidate local school officials and educators.”

Here is the president responding to my question about ⁦@GovRonDeSantis⁩ using Biden's words against him to say DeSantis is "getting in the way" over COVID rules. President Biden: "Governor who?" Watch. pic.twitter.com/mmjznTsLcf

— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) August 5, 2021

During a news conference in Panama City, Fla., Wednesday, DeSantis vowed to fight any federal mandates on vaccinations or masks in schools.

“We can either have a free society or we can have a biomedical security state. And I can tell you, Florida, we’re a free state,” he said.

Florida is experiencing a record spike in COVID cases, and registering more than 56,000 cases on August 16. While DeSantis has urged Floridians to get vaccinated, and suggested individuals should continue to wear masks if they want to, he is against forcing anyone to observe the mandates.

 

*The Taliban is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia and many other nations.