The Daily Show mocks Fox News for taking a premature victory lap on low coronavirus cases in Texas and Florida

It wasn't long ago that New England and west coast states were suffering under the weight of the coronavirus. They locked down, shut down the economies and mandated masks. Meanwhile, red states like Texas, Georgia and Florida were celebrating what they thought was smart leadership.

"And guess what," announced Fox News host Sean Hannity on May 20. "Now it's time for all the states to follow their lead."

That lead sent them down the pathway to being the worst in the country for coronavirus cases as COVID-19 ravaged everyone from children to the elderly.

"Governor DeSantis now looks like a genius," bragged former GOP Gov. Mike Huckabee (AR). Florida is now the second worse state in the country after California, which has nearly 19 million more residents than the southern state.

The same day Hannity was singing DeSantis' praises, Vice President Mike Pence championed the state, saying they were "leading the way." Indeed they were leading the way, it was just off of a cliff.

"Gov. Greg Abbot, we can learn a lot from you and a lot from Gov. DeSantis," Hannity said on May 18. Texas is now the third-worst state in the country, after Florida and California.

"There's a lot to learn from your success," Hannity cheered.

See the video below: