During a press conference to update his state on coronavirus, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis referred to the state as “God’s waiting room.” The suggestion that elderly people in the state are just waiting to die is garnering heavy criticism. The ABC affiliate in South Florida wrote, “The term is a decades-old joke about the amount of retirees that move to Florida; it isn’t complimentary.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) called his own state “God’s waiting room,” an insult to the Sunshine State’s large population of retirees. pic.twitter.com/Hp0KnmEWUu

— HuffPost (@HuffPost) April 27, 2020

Florida Democratic Party chair Terrie Rizzo remarked, “Governor, this isn’t a time to do stand-up, it’s a time to stand up and lead.”

Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis calling his state “God’s waiting room” is about as derogatory a remark as possible. He is following in the footsteps of Trump; it’s the age of anything goes. That’s why we have to call out what we see as inhumane, unjust, racist, and all the rest.

— Barbara Malmet (@B52Malmet) April 27, 2020

DeSantis should be more personally concerned about Satan's waiting room –

— Cathy Coleman (@CathyJoeGPT) April 27, 2020

Last month, Texas Lt. Gov Dan Patrick also seemed to cast the elderly aside, saying if you are a senior citizen “are you willing to take a chance on your survival in exchange for keeping the America that all America loves for your children and grandchildren?”