Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’s press secretary Christina Pushaw sent a message to liberal reporters who were not invited to a GOP convention in the Sunshine State: “Try crying about it.”
The Florida Republican Party’s annual Sunshine Summit came to its big election-year gathering in Hollywood over the past weekend, featuring keynote speakers, panel discussions, Republican primary debates, and a “Victory Dinner” headlined by DeSantis.
Unlike previous events, the now invite-only event shut down access to some mainstream media, including the Washington Post and the New York Times, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. The move sparked complaints from those excluded from the press list.
“It has come to my attention that some liberal media activists are mad because they aren’t allowed into #SunshineSummit this weekend,” said DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw via a July 22 Twitter post.
“My message to them is to try crying about it. Then go to kickboxing and have a margarita. And write the same hit piece you were gonna write anyway.”
It has come to my attention that some liberal media activists are mad because they aren't allowed into #SunshineSummit this weekend. My message to them is to try crying about it. Then go to kickboxing and have a margarita. And write the same hit piece you were gonna write anyway.
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) July 22, 2022
Pushaw’s comments hint at a January quote from former White House press secretary Jen Psaki upon the Senate’s failure to pass voting rights legislation, which aimed to expand voting access and counter restrictive voting rights legislation that meant to ensure election integrity, passed in Republican states after 2020 election.
During her then-appearance on ABC’s “The View,” Psaki encouraged supporters to “go to a kickboxing class” and “have a margarita” over the weekend to relieve their anger and frustrations, before continuing the fight.
By Rita Li
