DeSantis Still Won’t Say If He’s Had a Booster Despite Trump’s Taunt

In a move his former mentor has called “gutless,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis again refused to say Friday whether he received his COVID-19 booster shot. “That’s something that I think people should just make their own decisions on,” DeSantis said at a news conference. “I’m not gonna let that be a weapon for people to be able to use. I think it’s a private matter.” The 43-year-old also cast doubt on whether people in his age group need a booster shot, despite scientists and public health officials affirming boosters as the best protection against the Omicron variant. It came a day after he implied vaccinations could affect fertility, a claim scientists say is not backed up by evidence. DeSantis received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine last April. In a recent interview, former President Donald Trump said he’d received a booster shot and blasted politicians who aren’t open about it. “They don’t want to say it, because they’re gutless,” he said. “You gotta say it, whether you had it or not, say it.”