Howard Dean Names Canary In The Coal Mine Who May Signal Ron DeSantis' Downfall

Former Democratic Party leader Howard Dean  slammed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ’ (R) disastrous handling of the coronavirus pandemic in the Sunshine State — now the epicenter of the surging delta variant and predicted which GOP senator could signal his downfall.

During an interview with MSNBC ’s Ari Melber on Wednesday, Dean said DeSantis “doesn’t even believe what he’s talking about,” is “totally unfit to govern in any way” and was “an embarrassment for every governor … both Republicans and Democrats .”

“A guy like this should never be in public authority,” he added.

DeSantis, a prominent Donald Trump apologist who has used his authority to prevent public health measures against COVID-19, has banned schools from mandating face masks and forbidden cruise ships from requiring passengers to prove vaccination.

He’s positioning himself “to run for president with the MAGA people,” said Dean.

“But what he doesn’t realize is that COVID sank Donald Trump’s presidency and it’s going to sink DeSantis because … I don’t think DeSantis could carry Florida if he ran for president right now,” the former governor of Vermont predicted.

Dean suggested Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) could end up being a bellwether of DeSantis’ political future.

“When Rubio starts objecting to DeSantis, you know he and his pollsters will have decided that DeSantis has become a liability,” said Dean. “You would never have said that four weeks ago, but it’s really clear from a political point of view this is a disaster. It’s not just bad medically, not just bad ethically, it’s dumb politically.”

Watch the interview above.