Reopened beaches amid coronavirus should help 'thin the ranks' of President Trump's supporters, Miami Herald columnist says

A Miami Herald columnist said that reopened beaches amid the coronavirus pandemic should help "thin the ranks" of President Donald Trump's supporters in Florida — as well as those who back Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Miami's Republican Mayor Carlos Gimenez.

Fabiolia Santiago — in a now-deleted tweet — wrote: "Packed beaches should work nicely to thin the ranks of Trump/DeSantis/Gimenez supporters in #Florida who value money over health."

Image source: Twitter

Santiago piggybacked on a tweet by colleague Adriana Brasileiro — the Herald's environmental reporter — which highlighted a story she co-authored topped with the headline, "Packed Florida beach offers glimpse of what may come when outdoor spaces are reopened."

Brasileiro's story looked at partially reopened beaches in Jacksonville and elsewhere after DeSantis let some open as long as safety and social distancing were respected.

Interestingly, Brasileiro's tweet wasn't on her Twitter feed Monday afternoon.

Santiago gets dragged by Donald Trump Jr.

Donald Trump Jr. blasted Santiago over her "thin the herd" tweet as well as the Herald:

"This tweet from a Miami Herald columnist tells you all you need to know about her, and based on their hiring choices, likely everything you need to know about the Miami Herald as well," Trump Jr. tweeted. "Their flagrant bias continues to go on unchecked. Disgusting."

A change of heart?

Santiago soon apologized for her words: "I deleted the tweet commenting on people at the beach because it didn't accurately convey my sentiment and I want to apologize for the phrase I used that offended many people. Regardless of political differences, I would never wish any harm on anyone."

She added: "In fact, my intent was to sound an alarm about prematurely opening up the country and the state. I was trying to open eyes, minds and save lives, not create a controversy about me instead of the issue, which merits discussion."

Well, apparently not completely

Santiago, however, left up another tweet which excoriates "stupid" people gathering in Miami Lakes and calls them "the red-hatted listening to their masters" — an apparent reference to the "Make America Great Again" hats, which were the iconic symbols of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

How did folks react?

As you might expect, a number of Twitter users had little good to say about Santiago's mea culpa:

• "Your intent was quite clear, and wished death on those you disagree with. We all saw it, and we all saved it. You deleted it, but you still meant it. And the internet is forever."
• "But you did wish harm on others and put it in writing. You denial exposes your character. Or lack thereof..."
• "I like how she tries to steer the discussion away from herself, too. She was just trying to start a discussion about this serious issue, so please pay attention to that and not her disgusting remarks."
• "How about this for opening eyes. You are a fan of the climate change activists who want people to live in cities with stacked housing, common areas, government assistance lines and public transportation. All breeding grounds for contagions. I'd re-examine your choices."
• "FIRE HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"