Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) told supporters at a campaign event Saturday that the “Florida variant” and “freedom variant” of COVID-19 had infected his brain. Speaking in front of what appeared to be a trailer featuring a life-size image of Donald Trump and the words, “Trump won!” Gaetz said, “You’ve had all the experts say look out for the delta variant or the lambda variant, well next it’ll be the Chi Omega variant or the Pi Kappa Psi variant. I got the Florida variant. I got the freedom variant. It affects the brain. It gets you to think for yourself where you don’t just surrender to the truth that they’re trying to create in corrupt big media.” Though ostensibly a joke, the remark comes on the same day that Florida, Gaetz’s home state and the one he represents, broke its record for most coronavirus cases recorded in a single day since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.