Ron DeSantis Hires New Surgeon General Who’s Anti-Vaxx and Anti-Mask

By the Florida Democratic Party

Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced Dr. Joseph Ladapo as Florida’s newest surgeon general and secretary of Florida’s Department of Health, who has a history of going against science when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic. DNC spokesperson Adonna Biel released the following statement:

“There has been no governor who has been more pro-COVID than Ron DeSantis and his newest hire, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, is further confirmation of that. Instead of going with a trusted advocate for science, DeSantis is once again playing games with peoples’ lives by appointing someone who has trafficked anti-vaccine and anti-mask rhetoric. The American people are ready to return to normalcy and the DeSantis playbook of prolonging the pandemic is dangerous and wreaking havoc on hisown state.”

A look at Ladapo’s history on COVID-19:

• Opinion by Joseph Ladapo, Wall Street Journal: Are Covid Vaccines Riskier Than Advertised?

• Opinion by Joseph Ladapo, Wall Street Journal: Vaccine Mandates Can’t Stop Covid’s Spread

• Opinion by Joseph Ladapo, Wall Street Journal: Masks Are a Distraction From the Pandemic Reality

• Opinion by Joseph Ladapo, New York Daily News: Let’s all be honest about hydroxychloroquine: Evidence is more positive than many in the medical community admit

• Featured as an ‘expert’ in a video undermining public health guidance:
• USA Today: “Tech platforms scrambled this week to delete a video featuring seven doctors who claimed their front-line knowledge of the pandemic contradicts the guidance of public health experts… Dr. Joe Ladapo, a UCLA physician who appeared in the video, told USA TODAY in an email that he appeared at the event ‘because I believe it’s critically important for us to have a discussion that includes different perspectives about our approach to COVID-19.’”