Trump blasts DeSantis COVID-19 policies, despite encouraging him to back lockdowns

Former President Donald Trump criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's COVID-19 lockdown policy, despite persuading him to impose a stay-at-home order in the first place.

Back in 2020, as COVID-19 ravaged the country, DeSantis was reticent about implementing a statewide lockdown but caved after a call with Trump and a "grave reckoning" about the risks of mass deaths if such an order was not imposed, the New York Times reported. Trump took a swing at DeSantis over the weekend for closing his state during the pandemic.