Ron DeSantis snaps at reporter who asked why he wasn’t taking questions from the public
Florida governor Ron DeSantis snapped at a reporter at a campaign event in New Hampshire on Thursday after the journalist persisted in asking him why he was posing for pictures with local voters but not taking their questions.
“Are you blind?” Mr DeSantis snarled at him, insisting he was making himself available.
The exchange was leapt upon by Republican presidential rival Donald Trump, addressing a Fox News town hall event in Iowa, who told host Sean Hannity: “I don’t think he’s going to be second that much longer. I think he’s going to be third or fourth. He had a very bad day today, he got very angry at the press. You’re not allowed to get angry at the press.”
Back in the Sunshine State, the governor is facing mounting criticism over a sweeping new immigration law coming into effect on 1 July.
Senate Bill 1718 imposes strict new employment mandates on businesses and workers, limits access to social services for undocumented immigrants, allocates millions more tax dollars to expand the “Unauthorized Alien Transport Program”, invalidates driver’s licences issued to undocumented people in other states and requires public hospitals to check up on a patient’s immigration status.