No doubt because they view him as a serious political threat, Joe Biden and members of his administration have frequently taken shots at Ron DeSantis during the course of Biden’s time in office, most notably during the Wuhan virus pandemic when they were at odds over things like vaccine distribution and keeping kids in school. There have been other issues they’ve attacked him over as well, like DeSantis shipping migrants off to Martha’s Vineyard and the Parental Rights in Education bill he signed into law in March 2022.
DeSantis, of course, has often responded accordingly, but in the most recent Biden attack on the Florida governor, the POTUS inadvertently committed a rather glorious self-own.
As RedState readers will recall, Joe Biden – who is beholden to national teachers unions – is not a proponent of school choice and explicitly stated so during the course of his 2020 presidential campaign:
When we divert public funds to private schools, we undermine the entire public education system. We’ve got to prioritize investing in our public schools, so every kid in America gets a fair shot. That’s why I oppose vouchers. #Espinoza
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 23, 2020
Remarkably, however, Biden seemingly came out and endorsed school choice in a tweet posted Friday, in which he referenced a Washington Post hit piece on parents who were outraged over DeSantis supposedly threatening “to eliminate Advanced Placement classes.”
“I think every kid, in every zip code, in every state should have access to every education opportunity possible,” Biden tweeted. “I guess, for some, that isn’t the consensus view.”
I think every kid, in every zip code, in every state should have access to every education opportunity possible.
I guess, for some, that isn’t the consensus view. https://t.co/d1FAeWwKv1
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 17, 2023
The problem here is that that has never been Biden’s view. And the only reason he’s acting like it is now is because, apparently, he (or his handlers) thought it would be a good idea to try and ding DeSantis on social media.
It wasn’t.
Many pointed to Biden’s self-own, flip-flopping on limitless educational opportunities for young people while trying to dunk on a potential 2024 rival.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders also got in on the act, correctly pointing out that career politician Biden has always been about “protecting a broken government system,” not looking out for children:
President Biden, I’ve done more in 5 weeks than you’ve done in 5 decades to give “every kid, in every zip code…access to every education opportunity possible.” I guess, for some, it’s never been about empowering parents or students, but protecting a broken government system. https://t.co/LqsVI9Cr5E
— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) February 17, 2023
As of this writing, no response from Gov. DeSantis directly to the tweet from Biden, but then again, he doesn’t really have to, does he (though I suspect, at some point, a jab will be taken)? The point has already been made, with DeSantis getting Biden to inadvertently backtrack on a major issue of national import without breaking a sweat, which is something that is sure to be a major bone of contention between the two should they meet up on the debate stage in 2024.
Related: ‘Reporter’ Says It’s Her Job to Make Ron DeSantis ‘Uncomfortable,’ Things Don’t Go as Planned
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