Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) continues to plow ahead with his commitment to Florida parents and families. As Madeline covered on Monday, the governor just signed legislation further expanding school choice.
"Today’s bill signing cements us in that number one position because we’ll be signing legislation which will represent the largest expansion of education choice not only in the history of this state but in the history of these United States. That is a big deal," DeSantis said at the bill's signing ceremony. It's "a big deal" indeed.
When it comes to this "big deal," President Joe Biden, who may be facing DeSantis in 2024 if the two are their party's nominees, may want to follow the governor's lead.
That's the suggestion of the DeSantis War Room Twitter account, which tagged the president's personal account in a pinned tweet from Tuesday morning.
Florida has the blueprint for opportunity for our children.@JoeBiden should use it. 👀👇 pic.twitter.com/fxqRxXXD8U
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) March 28, 2023
The president had tweeted from his official account just last month that "I think every kid, in every zip code, in every state should have access to every education opportunity possible." He went on to also claim that "I guess, for some, that isn’t the consensus view."
That tweet was in response to issues between the College Board and the governor over the organization's course on "African-American Studies," with concerns that the curriculum violated state law, in this case the Stop WOKE Act.
"If only Biden practiced what he preached... Governor DeSantis sure does," the video clip mentions. It then includes a clip of DeSantis standing behind a podium that reads "EDUCATION FREEDOM," as he tells those in attendance what "a big deal" this bill is.
The video clip closes by declaring that "Florida has the blueprint for opportunity for our children, Biden should use it."
In addition to his divisive rhetoric against Republicans and their values, including when it comes to DeSantis, the president has also been criticized for not doing more on school choice.
Regardless of whether or not DeSantis becomes the Republican nominee and potential future president, this idea of universal school choice is picking up steam around the country. As Guy highlighted earlier on Tuesday, Georgia and Texas may be next.
The bill signed into law on Monday, H.B. 1, is hardly the only education bill that the governor has championed and signed. As mentioned above, there's the Stop WOKE Act. And, DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education Act a year ago today, which its critics have unfairly and inaccurately dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill. Critics have not only mislabeled the law's name, but have filed lawsuits. Such lawsuits have been dismissed, though, including just last month. Not only are DeSantis and the law's supporters not deterred by such critics, but they're proposing expanding the law's scope.
Polling indicates that DeSantis comes the closest to beating Biden in 2024, with the RealClearPolitics (RCP) average showing Biden ahead by just 0.3 percent.