(CNN) -- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' warning this week of a "Faucian distopia" offered the latest glimpse at how ambitious Republicans eyeing 2024 presidential bids are increasingly targeting public health officials as they attempt to grow their national brands in front of conservative audiences.
"It is very important that we say unequivocally no to lockdowns, no to school closures, no to restrictions and no to mandates," DeSantis told the crowd at a conservative state policy conference in Utah on Wednesday.
The approaches by DeSantis and other potential GOP 2024 contenders frequently mirror former President Donald Trump's downplaying of the pandemic and right-wing television networks -- poised to play a central role in the next GOP presidential primary race -- that have criticized Dr. Anthony Fauci, opposed government mandates and raised questions about the effectiveness of vaccines.
Ahead of his 2022 gubernatorial re-election -- and a potential presidential run in 2024 -- DeSantis is using Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease official, as a political punching bag, touting his opposition to Fauci and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/31/politics/desantis-fauci-coronavirus-republican-2024-race/index.html
