Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) claimed during a recent speech that anyone who gets a COVID-19 booster is more likely to contract the disease.
DeSantis, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, was speaking at a town hall in New Hampshire when he made the claim, as he has portrayed himself as a critic of the COVID-19 vaccine. In September 2023, DeSantis warned people under 65 against getting the latest booster.
“They lied to us about the COVID shots, remember?” DeSantis said at the town hall. “They said if you take a COVID shot, you will not get COVID. How true was that? Not at all! Now, every booster you take, you’re more likely to get COVID as a result of it.”
“Every booster you take, you’re more likely to get COVID as a result of it.”
— Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) makes a baseless claim at a town hall in New Hampshire pic.twitter.com/LFmpBK65we
— The Recount (@therecount) January 17, 2024
The Florida governor also criticized pharmaceutical companies for not discussing any possible side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine, noting how many list potential side effects for other drugs in their commercials “because they’re covering their rear end.” However, DeSantis argued that such precautions and warnings were foregone with the COVID-19 vaccine.
DeSantis’s claim comes as he is vying to become the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nominee, with former President Donald Trump leading the race. Trump had encouraged people to get the COVID-19 vaccine, with President Joe Biden acknowledging Trump’s work in developing the vaccine in his last year at the White House.
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Last week, DeSantis pledged to take action against Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and other figures involved in the pandemic lockdowns if he is elected president. DeSantis stated that Fauci should not “escape accountability” and that he is “the only candidate who will bring a reckoning” to those in charge during the pandemic.
Trump pulled off a massive win in the Iowa caucuses on Monday, securing 51% of votes from caucusgoers, far outpacing DeSantis’s 21%. The Florida governor has rejected pressure to drop out of the primary race, with the next nominating contest scheduled for Tuesday in New Hampshire.