Gov. Ron DeSantis' campaign is selling 'Escape to Florida' shirts to mock Democratic lawmakers who have visited the state

Cheryl Teh
Updated ·3 min read
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Gov. Ron DeSantis' campaign is selling 'Escape to Florida' shirts to mock Democratic lawmakers who have visited the state
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  • Gov. Ron DeSantis is selling "Escape to Florida" shirts to mock Democratic politicians who have visited his state.

  • The shirts are labeled "The Lockdown Libs Tour Tee," and are being sold for $25.

  • The back of the shirt lists politicians seen vacationing in Florida, including AOC and Eric Swalwell.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is selling "Escape to Florida" shirts to mock Democratic politicians for visiting the state.

The garment is labeled "The Lockdown Libs Tour Tee," and is being sold for $25 on the DeSantis re-election campaign's online store. The back of the shirt lists seven politicians from states with strict COVID-19 measures who have made trips to Florida, including Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Eric Swalwell, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The shirt also called out NBC for hosting its New Year's Eve special in Miami, Florida, and CNN anchor Don Lemon for going to Palm Beach for a vacation.

The back of the shirt bears the tagline: "We don't blame you ... we like freedom, too," along with DeSantis' signature and campaign logo.

An image of the "Escape to Florida" t-shirt being sold on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' campaign store.
The $25 tees mock Democratic politicians including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Eric Swalwell for visiting the state after criticizing its COVID-19 response.Ron DeSantis Campaign Store

In December, Ocasio-Cortez was spotted in Florida with her boyfriend, while Swalwell was seen in January vacationing in the state with family members.

DeSantis' campaign Twitter account wrote a message to Ocasio-Cortez on December 31: "Welcome to Florida, AOC! We hope you're enjoying a taste of freedom here in the Sunshine State thanks to @RonDeSantisFL's leadership."

DeSantis also joked last week about Democratic politicians visiting Florida, saying: "If I had a dollar for every lockdown politician who decided to escape to Florida over the last two years, I'd be a pretty doggone wealthy man, let me tell you."

"I mean, Congresspeople, mayors, governors, I mean, you name it," DeSantis added. "It's interesting the reception that some of these folks will get in Florida, because I think a lot of Floridians say, wait a minute you're bashing us because we're not doing your draconian policies, and yet we're the first place you want to flee to, to basically be able to enjoy life."

The Florida governor has been positioning the state as an anti-Biden mecca, calling it the "freest state" in a speech this week.

"Florida has become the escape hatch for those chafing under authoritarian, arbitrary, and seemingly never-ending mandates and restrictions," DeSantis during his State of the State Address.

However, the state has recently seen a significant surge in COVID-19 infections. According to The New York Times' COVID-19 case tracker, Florida reported an average of 63,801 new COVID-19 infections on January 11 — a 140% increase compared to 14 days prior.

Last week, DeSantis' team admitted to letting a stockpile of some one million COVID-19 tests expire. The Florida governor has opposed the Biden administration's COVID-19 response, rejecting vaccine requirements and issuing new statewide testing guidelines.

Read the original article on Business Insider