Whether Ron DeSantis runs for president in 2024 or 2028, he's going to get a lot of support from ordinary Americans.  He's an effective administrator with a lot of common sense and a deep respect for individual liberty.  These last two traits came through loud and clear when he attended an event at the University of South Florida (USF) and gave the masked high school students arrayed behind the podium some good news about masks: they don't work, and you don't need them.  Leftists instantly accused him of yelling at the students.  The beaming smile of the students who took DeSantis's advice put the lie to that claim.

The video, which has been viewed 11 million times as of this writing, is simple.  DeSantis is heading to the podium at USF when he sees a group of high school students lined up against the back wall, behind where he'll stand.  He swerves away from the podium and gives them some advice:

You do not have to wear those masks. (Laughter from the students.) Please, take them off. Honestly, it's not doing anything. We've gotta stop with this COVID theater. So, if you wanna wear it, fine, but this is ridiculous.

Upon hearing those words, some of the students instantly strip off their masks, smiling as they do so:

Correction: I believe these students are in high school.

Hillsborough School District says some of their kids from Middleton HS in Tampa were involved in the presser, so I believe these are those students.

— Evan Donovan (@EvanDonovan) March 2, 2022

The usual culprits on the left were instantly offended on the students' behalf.  How dare the governor repeat to those students the CDC's own admission that the masks are useless?  How dare he let them know that they have free will and can wear the masks or not, as they, not the government, prefer?

There was the following tweet from a Democrat group.  I was going to point out the problems with that chart, but Scott McClellan got there before me.  I'll add only that Florida has one of the oldest populations in America and that age is one of the primary indicators of a mortality risk associated with COVID.  Also, COVID is not the only thing that kills people.  So do suicide, untreated illnesses, substance abuse, and sheer despair:

Reminder arbitrarily choosing a time frame of data and comparing vastly different populations does not prove anything

— Scott McClellan (@mcclells3) March 2, 2022

R.A. Salvatore (tweet below) spoke for many when he said it was "bullying/berating" for DeSantis to repeat the CDC's own guidance and give the students a choice — and then Salvatore went on to say, as if he were coming up with an original idea, that people should have a choice, which is exactly what DeSantis said.  And if that preceding sentence confuses you, it should.  The point with the left, always, is to reject anything a Republican says, especially if that Republican is DeSantis, even if the leftists actually agree with him:

Many disease experts are still wearing their masks and disagree with the new guidelines. DeSantis bullying/berating students who choose to wear their masks in horrible.

There are many people young and old who don't feel safe without a mask at this point. It's their choice!

— R.A. Salvatore (@r_a_salvatore) March 2, 2022

Julie Kelly, as always, gets it right:

Many disease experts are still wearing their masks and disagree with the new guidelines. DeSantis bullying/berating students who choose to wear their masks in horrible.

There are many people young and old who don't feel safe without a mask at this point. It's their choice!

— R.A. Salvatore (@r_a_salvatore) March 2, 2022

And then there was this bit of ignorance from a member of the public who seems unaware that viruses are about 1,000 times smaller than bacteria.  The point of masks has been to keep wounds from getting infected from the larger bacteria that the masks actually block.  Almost all masks are useless against viruses.

There’s scientific reason why all medical professionals wear masks during any medical procedure prior to COVID -19. Even dentists and hygienists. Those masks work to help not spread germs etc. Gators, cloth, etc. less effective but still some level of protection. China knows

— Brother Theo (@BrotherTheo2) March 3, 2022

DeSantis is a leader.  Compared to him, most Republicans are either RINOs or cowards, and most leftists, pardon me for saying so, are morons.

Image: Ron DeSantis speaking the truth about masks.  Twitter screen grab.