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Gov. Ron DeSantis sells spoof 'Escape to Florida' shirts mocking Democrats

Republican governor's re-election campaign pokes fun at hypocrisy of Democrats vacationing in Sunshine State
Gov. Ron DeSantis smiles gleefully in Tallahassee, Jan. 11, 2022
Posted at 6:00 AM, Jan 17, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-17 06:00:26-05

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida's Republican governor is having some fun poking fun at Democrats.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is now selling "Escape to Florida" T-shirts on his campaign website, mocking several prominent Democrats who recently traveled to the Sunshine State amid the surge of the omicron variant.

"The Lockdown Libs Tour Tee," as it is billed on the website, reads "Escape to Florida" and pictures an "open" sign on the front. The back of the shirt reads "We don't blame you … we like freedom, too," along with a list of Democrats who visited Florida and their destinations.

A video promoting the shirts was also posted on the campaign's YouTube channel.

The shirts are intended to highlight the hypocrisy of Democratic lawmakers who have called for COVID-19 restrictions and mask mandates while enjoying Florida's lax policies.

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was photographed earlier this month partying maskless at a crowded drag bar in Miami Beach. That was after she was seen without a mask enjoying a cocktail outside with her boyfriend at a sushi restaurant on Lincoln Road.

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, in June 2021
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., listens as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks during a June 16, 2021, news conference at the Capitol in Washington.

Then there was last week's federal indictment of Baltimore prosecutor Marilyn Mosby, who is accused of falsifying statements on loan applications for two Florida vacation homes.

DeSantis commented on Democrats choosing to vacation in Florida during a Jan. 3 news conference in Fort Lauderdale.

WATCH: Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during Jan. 3 news conference

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gives COVID-19 update in Fort Lauderdale

"If I had a dollar for every lockdown politician who decided to escape to Florida over the last two years, I'd be a pretty doggone wealthy man, let me tell you," DeSantis said. "I mean, congresspeople, mayors, governors, I mean, you name it."

DeSantis said a lot of Floridians recognize the hypocrisy of "bashing us because we're not doing your draconian policies, and yet we're the first place you want to flee to."

MORE: Fried compares DeSantis to Hitler: 'In a lot of way'

"I'm happy, though, that Florida's a place where people know they can come and they can live like normal people," DeSantis went on to say.

DeSantis touted Florida as the "freest state in the United States" during his State of the State address to a joint session of the legislature Wednesday in Tallahassee.

His campaign isn't new to the apparel game, having previously sold shirts that read, "Don't Fauci My Florida."

The "Escape to Florida" shirts are available for purchase for $25 each. Sales go toward DeSantis' re-election campaign.