Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has plunged to new depths, says a Washington Post editorial published Tuesday.
The newspaper’s editorial board said DeSantis, a Donald Trump loyalist, had sunk to “a jaw-dropping level of cynicism” by aligning himself with misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, campaigning against mask mandates and announcing fines for local governments that mandate vaccines for staff.
DeSantis is trying to cast himself “as a defender of personal freedom,” the editorial said. But he’s actually just adding “ to the vaccine hesitancy that has become a major roadblock to greater immunity and ending the pandemic,” it added.
“Mr. DeSantis harbors national political ambitions. But what he’s displaying here is crass opportunism and disregard for the greater good,” the editorial concluded.
“As he stokes the ignorance and misguided impulses of some in the Republican base, he is acting against the very tools needed to save lives and stop the pandemic.”
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
