Ron DeSantis Responds to Critics of His Going Maskless at Super Bowl: ‘How the Hell Am I Going to Drink a Beer?’
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida was candid after he was apparently badgered about being seen without a mask at the Super Bowl on Sunday in Tampa.
Why wasn’t the 42-year-old rising GOP star wearing a mask? Well, it’s difficult to drink a beer with your face covered, he said.
Politico’s Marc Caputo reported DeSantis offered a pretty direct answer when talking about being photographed without a mask during Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium.
“Caught DeSantis before he left an event and he brought up this picture on his own by saying, ‘Someone said, “hey, you were at the Super Bowl without a mask” … but how the hell am I going to be able to drink a beer with a mask on? Come on. I had to watch the Bucs win,'” Caputo tweeted.
Caught DeSantis before he left an event and he brought up this picture on his own by saying, “Someone said, ‘hey, you were at the Super Bowl without a mask’ … but how the hell am I going to be able to drink a beer with a mask on? Come on. I had to watch the Bucs win.” https://t.co/OEDAeW2eGM
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) February 8, 2021
It’s impossible to argue against that logic. While Democrats and the establishment media push their fear-mongering and double standards about crowds and masks, DeSantis was caught being human. He offered no apologies.
The governor angered the right people. CNN Editor-at-large Chris Cillizza didn’t appreciate his explanation — not one bit.
“Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis was one of 22,000 (or so) fans who got a chance to watch Super Bowl LV — won by his state’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers — in person on Sunday night,” Cillizza blathered on in a piece on CNN’s website. “How did he celebrate such a unique opportunity? By disobeying the Covid-19 rules laid out by the city of Tampa — most notably a mask mandate for those in the stadium.”
Cillizza, who didn’t seem angry about the leftist super-spreader demonstrations in 2020, reminded CNN’s audience that the coronavirus is deadly and decried DeSantis for “suggesting you can’t drink a beer and wear a mask.”
“Fun fact: You can! Take mask down. Sip beer. Put mask back on. Repeat,” he wrote.
You know you’re above the target when CNN is after you.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, a Democrat, had issued an outdoor mask mandate for the city during the Super Bowl. At a news conference Monday, Castor said the “bad actors” who didn’t wear masks would be “identified” and the Tampa Police Department will “handle it.”
Unsurprisingly, the mayor, like many Democrats, is a hypocrite when it comes to coronavirus prevention measures. A photograph of Castor at Raymond James Stadium without a mask made the rounds on social media Monday.
Mayor of Tampa will be prosecuting maskless fans from the Super Bowl. Yet…. pic.twitter.com/rL5LnkyCiY
— Chef Andrew Gruel (@ChefGruel) February 9, 2021
According to MSN, the photo was taken Sept. 30 during a celebration of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Stanley Cup victory, long before Castor had issued her outdoor mask mandate. Still, it’s not a good look for someone now siccing the police on people who, like her, chose not to wear a mask while attending an outdoor event.
You have to appreciate DeSantis’ candor. He didn’t attempt to explain away his evening of levity or justify it to a media that wants to torpedo Republicans. He just accounted for himself like a real person.
If DeSantis were a stock option for 2024, the Greeks right now would be telling you to buy the call. Not only does he have an incredible record regarding how to run a large state amid a pandemic that is full of political landmines, but he’s also incredibly relatable.
Who doesn’t want a governor who celebrates a Super Bowl in his state while enjoying himself?
The best part: DeSantis enjoying a beer feels genuine — unlike when Hillary Clinton tried to pretend that, like many Americans, she enjoys normal activities.
Let’s also not forget that Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts once staged an Instagram livestream in which she drank beer and mentioned beer numerous times during an apparent attempt to come off as genuine.
Warren’s state couldn’t keep former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in Foxborough, letting him become a free agent following the 2019 season. The now-43-year-old left Massachusetts for sunny Florida and won a Super Bowl this week to cap off his first season with the Buccaneers.
Like so many people bogged down by the blue-state blues, Brady moved to the Sunshine State and is excelling as a transplant. His new governor was in attendance Sunday to take in his historic victory. Like other normal, nonrobotic human beings, DeSantis enjoyed the sights, the smells and the tastes of Tampa Bay’s 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
While one of his state’s three NFL teams won the Vince Lombardi Trophy, he wasn’t running for office or virtue signaling. DeSantis apparently didn’t keep the optics of his presence in mind while watching the Bucs’ defense keep Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on the run and Brady calmly carving up Kansas City for three first-half touchdown passes.
By the way, isn’t it interesting that Tampa Bay’s quarterback is older than the governor of the state the team plays in?
DeSantis is young at 42, and he’s a great governor with sharp instincts regarding how to handle the hostile media. You never apologize to them and you never cede them moral authority on anything.
The Bucs’ missing ingredient in 2019 was Brady and all he brought to the table. With a less-than-unified GOP, DeSantis could be the missing piece to help conservatives win back the White House in 2024 — assuming no other Floridians are running.
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