Watch: Maskless Parent Says It Is ‘Shocking’ Ron DeSantis Told Her Child He Didn’t Have to Wear a Mask

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 24: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Conservative Polit
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Hannah Knudsen

A high school student’s mom expressed irritation after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) told individuals standing behind him at a press conference they did not need to wear masks, encouraging them to remove them and to stop “COVID theater.”

“I’m responsible for him, and I told him to wear that mask. And Governor DeSantis, he’s looking at this adult authority who’s telling him, oh you don’t have to wear the mask,” the maskless mother said as her masked up son stood beside her for the interview.

Her son was one of several students standing behind the governor ahead of his Wednesday press conference at the University of South Florida.

“You do not have to wear those masks. I mean, please, take them off,” he told the individuals as he walked up to the podium ahead of the presser.

“Honestly, it’s not doing anything and we’ve gotta stop with this COVID theater. So if you want to wear it, fine, but this is ridiculous,” he added.

A handful of the individuals then smiled, looked around, and removed their masks as he began.

The student said he was a bit surprised and shocked at DeSantis’s remark, describing the brief comment as an authority figure “asking me to do something that I know is probably going to end up being controversial.”

“I took mine off,” he said.  When asked if he felt pressured by the governor, he paused and finally said “a little” as his maskless mother awaited his response.

“It was more of a pressure of an adult figure asking me to do something and it’s just like, all right. Why not,” he added:

“It’s shocking that the governor told these kids, take off your mask,” the student’s mother continued. “He pretty much said, take off your mask, it’s stupid. And take off your mask, parents don’t matter, even though I’m telling you parents matter. And he’s telling my minor child to take off his mask? He’s putting us at risk,” the maskless mother continued. “So oh yeah, I was upset. Very upset”:

DeSantis has long made it clear that “COVID theater” has no place in the Sunshine State, recently discussing Florida’s updated coronavirus guidance which “advises against wearing face coverings in a community setting” and states that Floridians “should not be forced to wear a mask at work.”

DeSantis also recently blasted blue state leaders who have suddenly experienced an “epiphany,” removing mask restrictions in their states. Notably, Florida has never had a statewide mask mandate in place yet enjoyed lower coronavirus case rates per capita than pro-restriction blue states for months on end last year.

“So when you start to see them kind of reevaluate or say all this, just understand this. The science didn’t change. The medical science didn’t change. The political science changed,” he said.

“They feel the heat. They know that voters have been tired of perpetual lockdown policies. They know that they have basically offered no offramp and they know that they’re fixing to be whooped at the polls, so that’s causing the epiphany,” the governor added.

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