DeSantis Signs Medical Freedom Bills, Slams Federal COVID-19 Response

DeSantis Signs Medical Freedom Bills, Slams Federal COVID-19 Response
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gives remarks in National Harbor, Maryland, on April 21, 2023. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Dan M. Berger
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Signing four medical freedom bills in Destin on May 11—including one making Florida the first state to ban controversial “gain of function” research—Gov. Ron DeSantis recounted his lonely fight against national health authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He spoke to an enthusiastic crowd that gave him such a long-standing ovation when he walked in that he finally had to ask them amiably to sit down.