One thing inarguable about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is how he brings out the worst in his critics. His decision to manage the pandemic much differently than authoritarian blue states caused many predictable eruptions among the Usual Suspects, who early on accused him of being a “grandma killer” for not locking everything down even as videos of teenagers frolicking on the beaches during spring break were broadcast on an endless loop.

In contrast to how DeSantis was routinely ripped by the press, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) was revered as a magnificent leader despite the nursing home scandal that most media outlets ignored at the time because Orange Man Bad. A year later, the roles have been reversed as Cuomo is in hot water while DeSantis has earned praise from some critics.

All that said, the MSM is still hellbent on getting the opinions of “national leaders” on whatever actions DeSantis takes regarding COVID because there are few things the media loves more than having a prominent Democrat attempt a dunk on a popular Republican political figure.

Case in point, the below clip, where Vice President Kamala Harris is asked about DeSantis’ recent signing of an executive order that, as my RedState colleague Bonchie described it, “essentially [ends] all draconian COVID regulations done via ’emergency orders’ at the local level.” Listen to how she talks about how such decisions “must be guided by the public health experts”:

Vice Pres. Kamala Harris responds to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' suspension of all local COVID-19 emergency orders, telling @ABC that any COVID protocols “must be guided by the public health experts, period.” https://t.co/Y3YdtCdsVH pic.twitter.com/w8wniDCWvb

— ABC News (@ABC) May 5, 2021

But notice how Harris, who was in Milwaukee instead of the southern border, completely contradicts herself in the clip. Not just by what she says, but also by what she’s wearing. Harris is fully vaccinated and yet she’s standing outside answering a reporter’s question while wearing a mask. This did not go unnoticed by others who watched the video:

The VP says this while fully vaccinated and wearing a mask outdoors… https://t.co/Pxy4s9XIdZ

— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) May 5, 2021

She’s fully vaccinated and outside wearing a mask – that is theater not science https://t.co/S65Zr64MrJ

— (((Marc Horodas))) (@mhorodas) May 5, 2021

It says it right there on the CDC website that if you are fully vaccinated you do not need to wear a mask outdoors “except in certain crowded settings and venue” like concerts, etc.:

You can gather or conduct activities outdoors without wearing a mask except in certain crowded settings and venues.

A similar situation played out with President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden last week when they visited Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter at their Georgia home. Photos were taken of them indoors, sitting close together and maskless, which was fine since they’ve all been fully vaccinated, but when the Bidens left they went outside wearing masks. It was part of a continuing pattern of Biden contradicting the CDC and made no sense whatsoever.

If Biden and Harris truly “trust the science and the experts” as much as they tell us we should, they will stop with the mask-wearing theater and the bashing of red-state governors and start appearing outside without their masks on a regular basis. Doing so will contribute more to encouraging people to get the coronavirus vaccine than any other single thing they ever do.

Related: Hell Freezes Over, as Even CNN Makes an Acknowledgement About Joe Biden and Masks