Ron DeSantis up until midnight studying COVID-19 research, says FL surgeon general

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been known to stay awake until midnight poring over scientific pre-print studies related to COVID-19, says Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo. 

Since the start of the pandemic, DeSantis broke from the herd of governors imposing harsh restrictions on their citizens, instead emerging as the anti-mandate figurehead who refused to implement lockdowns or forced mask-wearing and injections. This instantly painted a target on DeSantis’ back by the mainstream media, whose doomsday predictions were proven false when Florida fared better in terms of COVID-19 mortality rates than other states which implemented harsh restrictions. 

In an interview last week with podcast host Del Bigtree, Ladapo revealed the governor refused to rely on news reports, instead spending hours reading scientific studies. Ladapo’s remarks came as the two discussed DeSantis’ refusal to follow the advice of former Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees, who advised the governor to implement mandates. 

“Ron doesn’t care,” prompted Bigtree. “Ron doesn’t seem to care that his own staff is against him. He’s moving anyway. It’s hard to imagine how someone has the confidence to do that. You're not a doctor, the medical establishment is telling you people are going to get killed – does he understand science more than we realize?” 

“Well yes, that’s part of it,” answered Ladapo. “If you don’t feel you have a good handle of the science, it can be hard for people to be able to move in a different direction with confidence. So I think that is part of it.  

“And I wasn’t here during that early time, but people have told me that they would find DeSantis in the office till midnight reading papers, reading preprints. So – and he’s a smart guy. So I think that helped him a lot to get comfortable with the science.” 

"He is not a politician reading like just the front page, speed-reading,” clarified Bigtree. “He’s actually absorbing and able to absorb the information.” 

“Oh yeah. Yeah, you could never do what he did if you didn’t read the [scientific] papers,” answered Ladapo. “Because for one thing he would cite, make statements that basically were a reflection of scientific literature. He’s not taking weak positions.” 

Ladapo then explained that aside from being well-versed in the science, DeSantis is committed to liberty and saw through the COVID-19 agenda pushed by other states and the federal government, who showed no sympathy for the destruction wrought by their policies. 

The full interview can be seen here:

In March, DeSantis slammed the CDC for politicizing the “science”.  

“I take no joy in saying this – I mean, if you look at how CDC has performed over the last couple of years. Fact of the matter is it leaves a lot to be desired,” said DeSantis at a press conference. “There’s a lot of politics, a lot of ideology.”  

The governor specifically focused on how the CDC suddenly loosened its indoor mask guidance days before President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, as reported by America's Frontline News. 

“I mean just think about how all the guidance has changed right before the State of the Union address. Is that how science works?” DeSantis said to laughter and applause. “Does the science change based on polling data? Does the science change because you have a midterm election coming up?”  

DeSantis was criticized the week before after he told students at the University of South Florida to take off their masks.  

“You do not have to wear those masks,” he said. “I mean, please take them off. 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, this is ridiculous.” 

Surgeon General Ladapo himself came out strong against the use of masks to curb COVID-19 infections. 

Speaking at a news conference in Panama City alongside Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Ladapo said that scientifically, the protection provided by masks is miniscule, if at all. He even went so far as to urge people to challenge doctors who claim that masks are effective.  

“To the doctors who tell you that these things save lives, ask them what did the two randomized clinical trials that we’ve done during the pandemic, what did they show?” Ladapo challenged. “Ask them that when they tell you that these things save lives. One found nothing. Zero benefit. The other found a small benefit, like a tiny benefit that’s a little bit methodologically shaky.”  

Ladapo went on to say that science is conclusive about masks being completely useless for young people.  

“And by the way, none of them found a benefit in young people. Not a single one found a benefit in young people. That’s the highest-quality evidence. That’s what it showed,” said Ladapo.  

The surgeon general then lamented that doctors who speak the truth are shunned.  

“Doctors who said that, who said that these things aren’t going to save your life, these things aren’t going to end the pandemic – these doctors got kicked off of social media. These are facts. They’ve had their licenses suspended...I mean that’s crazy! 

“Good doctors who were brave enough to say what the science showed got punished,” continued Ladapo. “That’s happening and it’s still happening where people are still holding up the illusion that these things save lives. These things are not saving lives.”  

Ladapo also blasted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for producing low-quality scientific evidence based on “shaky studies, shaky methods”.  

“Finding 80% reductions in infections? Give me a break, you know?” Ladapo said. “Nothing that we’re seeing in this country justifies that kind of conclusion. That’s what the evidence shows.”