DeSantis and Rubio Brutally Fumble Their Responses to Lewis’ Death

So far three Republicans have made complete fools of themselves following the death of civil rights hero John Lewis on Friday.

On Saturday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis mishandled the somber occasion by callously brushing off a reporter’s question about Lewis’ passing during a coronavirus press conference. Senator Marco Rubio, also from Florida, and Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan completely botched their tributes to Lewis by sharing a photo of themselves with the late congressman Elijah Cummings.

A sad display on a sad day by all. Rubio actually doubled down on his error by using the erroneous photo as his Twitter user profile image.

Rubio eventually changed his user photo and deleted the tweet, which read, “It was an honor to know & be blessed with the opportunity to serve in Congress with John Lewis a genuine & historic American hero.”

that's Elijah Cummings and not John Lewis and he made it his avatar. pic.twitter.com/95N0Ir6d7v

— Kate Nocera (@KateNocera) July 18, 2020

Rubio then acknowledged the snafu in a separate tweet where he paid homage to Lewis’ legacy. But he still wasn’t careful with his second attempt, which included a typo. The senator wrote, “Earlier today I tweeted an incorrect photo. John Lewis was a genuine American hero. I was honored to appear together in Miami 3 years ago at an event captured in video below. My [sic] God grant him eternal rest.”

Earlier today I tweeted an incorrect photo

John Lewis was a genuine American hero

I was honored to appear together in Miami 3 years ago at an event captured in video below

My God grant him eternal resthttps://t.co/aEm4MxKxBP pic.twitter.com/0UpWSG3vNQ

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 18, 2020

DeSantis’ behavior was similar to his handling of the coronavirus in his state—a complete embarrassment. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the governor, who served with Lewis in Congress for three terms has, of this writing, yet to offer public condolences and took issue with a reporter who asked about Lewis’ passing.

The reporter said, “We saw last night Congressman John Lewis passed away. He’s a civil rights icon. You know this is happening amidst heated conversation in this country about race, monuments, flags.”

DeSantis interrupted and dismissively said, “All right, yeah. I appreciate the question, but we’re trying to focus on the coronavirus. I appreciate it, but I’m going to let someone ask about—do you have a question about the topic at hand?”

A reporter tried to ask @GovRonDeSantis about the passing of John Lewis, race, and confederate monuments today in Florida, and this is how he reacted.

I have no words. pic.twitter.com/dEsXvbOSoh

— Kevin Cate (@KevinCate) July 18, 2020

To round-up the doofus trifecta, Republican Senator Dan Sullivan also stepped in it by using a photo of himself with the late congressman Elijah Cummings in a tribute post on Facebook. According to the Washington Post, Sullivan has not fessed up to the error but instead courageously deleted the post without saying a word.

Come Onnnnnnnn 🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️ @DanSullivan_AK pic.twitter.com/eHEwXa6z8b

— Holly Robinson Peete (@hollyrpeete) July 18, 2020