republicans say ron desantis is a sellout and is taking bribes from big pharma as desantis says you won't die if you take vaccine

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' recent push of the coronavirus vaccine has provoked Republican ire, with some even accusing the GOP governor of taking bribes. Their pushback indicates the difficulties facing conservative leaders who have pivoted their messaging after months of vaccine disinformation by right-wing outlets.

DeSantis, whose name has been mentioned as a possible 2024 presidential candidate, praised the effectiveness of vaccines in his most direct effort to encourage Floridans to get vaccinated in a press conference Wednesday.

"These vaccines are saving lives. They are reducing mortality," he said. "If you look at the people that are being admitted to hospitals, over 95 percent of them are either not fully vaccinated or not vaccinated at all."

"If you are vaccinated, fully vaccinated, the chances of you getting seriously ill or dying from COVID is effectively zero," DeSantis added.



His remarks came as Florida topped the nation in new COVID-19 cases, with hospitalizations in some areas climbing to its highest rate since the pandemic started last year. The state recorded 67,413 new cases of COVID-19 over the past week, which accounts for 20 percent of total infections across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn accused DeSantis of "trying to be politically correct" in his promotion of the vaccine. "That's a dangerous place to be for people in this country who do have influence," Flynn said.

Conservative podcaster Stew Peters—"confused" by DeSantis' vaccine push after supporting his anti-lockdown stance—falsely accused the governor of taking bribes.

"It was all about bribery," he said, calling the governor a "sellout."

"Everybody has a number. When you get someone to fold, you just put a lot of money on the line," he added.