'No idea what he's talking about': DeSantis ripped by CNN analyst for latest 'cheap applause line' on COVID

As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wages war against mask mandates in the Sunshine State, he is spreading blatant misinformation about the efficacy of face coverings in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

CNN editor Chris Cillizza ripped into DeSantis on Wednesday, after the governor claimed that masks are "not proven to be effective."

"Politicians want to force you to cover your face as a way for them to cover their own asses," DeSantis said. "That's just the truth. They want to be able to say they are taking this on and they're doing this even though it's not proven to be effective they want to continue to do it."

Cillizza responded by reporting that DeSantis "has no idea what he's talking about." Cillizza called it a "good applause line" because "people in his base don't like politicians or wearing masks."

"Except that, well, DeSantis is totally wrong about masking," Cillizza wrote, before citing both the Centers for Disease Control and the American Medical Association.

"Masks are a simple barrier to help prevent your respiratory droplets from reaching others. Studies show that masks reduce the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth," according to the CDC.

Cillizza wrote that he "can't imagine DeSantis is unaware of all of that data."

"But he'd rather get a cheap bit of applause than do the responsible thing, which is to tell people to wear masks as a way to slow the speed of the Delta variant," he wrote. This isn't some theoretical debate. According to The New York Times, deaths from Covid-19 in Florida have increased 123% over the last two weeks. Who's clapping now?"