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‘Thanks for the accidental endorsement’: Joe Biden’s attack on Ron DeSantis backfires after president hails choice in education, echoing Florida governor’s support of parents’ right to choose what kids learn
- President Joe Biden criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ condemnation of the College Board’s AP course in African-American studies.
- However, DeSantis supporters said the president was actually making the case that parents and schools should have a say in what students are learning.
- The standoff comes after the College Board accused DeSantis of spreading “misinformation” and “slander,” and the governor hit back.
President Joe Biden’s coup against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis failed dramatically as an “endorsement” to the culture wars in American schools.
The College Board accused DeSantis of spreading “misinformation” and “slander” against his AP African American Studies course, and Biden tweeted a Washington Post article echoing outrage over the governor’s push to kill the program.
The president claimed that, unlike DeSantis, he believed students “should have access” to any class they want, but critics said that idea was precisely what DeSantis was proposing and sarcastically welcomed Biden to the “choice” movement. of school”.
Corey DeAngelis, senior fellow for the American Federation for Children’s education group, tweeted: “Thank you for the accidental endorsement of school choice.”
President Joe Biden (above) criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ condemnation of the College Board’s AP course in African-American studies.
The president said students should have access to all available courses as he shared a Washington Post article about parental outrage over the governor’s decision.
However, supporters of DeSantis (pictured) said the president was actually making the case that parents and schools should have a say in what students are learning.
Earlier this week, DeSantis criticized the College Board for including “queer theory” and “intersectionality” in a proposal for Advanced Placement (AP) courses in African American studies.
The state Department of Education rejected the courses, sparking outrage from parents and prompting Biden’s criticism of the Florida governor.
The president tweeted: ‘I believe that every child, in every zip code, in every state should have access to every educational opportunity possible. I guess, for some, that’s not the consensus view.
While the tweet was intended as a jab at DeSantis, many conservatives saw it as praise, saying the idea of free access was in line with their view that schools and parents should have the right to choose what they want students to learn. students.
The conservative political organization FreedomWorks tweeted: “Biden doesn’t know it, but he just endorsed school choice!”
Jon Argüello, a member of the Osceola County School Board in Florida, echoed the sentiment, writing: ‘Thank you for supporting school choice! Finally, we agree on something.
Donald Trump’s former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos also tweeted: “Welcome to the #EducationFreedom movement, Mr. President.”
Twitter user Bill McClain summed up how many others saw the president’s criticism of DeSantis, writing: ‘Big endorsement for Ron! Thank you!’
Tommy Pigott, the rapid response director for the Republican Party, invited Biden to go further in his alleged endorsement of school choice.
He tweeted: “If Biden truly believed that ‘every child, in every zip code, in every state should have access to every educational opportunity possible,’ he would support empowering parents with school choice, not union bosses. that prompted the closures.
A wave of critics took to Twitter to thank Biden for his ‘endorsement’
The DeSantis DOE rejected the course in a Jan. 12 letter, which was obtained by ABC News.
He called the courses “inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacking in educational value.”
In his Monday news conference, DeSantis blamed the College Board for trying to introduce agenda items into African American studies classes.
The College Board responded to DeSantis’s criticism of the programs, saying in an open letter last week that it did not receive requested comment on why the courses were rejected.
A letter from the Florida DOE to the College Board characterized the issues as “historically fictitious,” which the board classified as “libel.”