Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis got into a heated back-and-forth with a reporter over Florida’s black history curriculum on Thursday.
The Florida governor took questions from the press while standing in front of his campaign bus. The reporter asked DeSantis for this thoughts on slavery and aimed a variety of pointed questions at him.
“Were there beneficial aspects to slavery?” the reporter asked.
“That’s not what the curriculum says,” DeSantis immediately shot back.
“What do you think?” the reporter probed.
DeSantis emphasized that the curriculum does not endorse the view that slavery had positive aspects. He told the reporter that the state’s history curriculum spans over 200 pages. He then asked the reporter if he had bothered to read it.
The Harris-Biden Administration and corporate media continue to lie about Florida’s education standards.
Watch Governor @RonDeSantis fight back with the truth… and win. pic.twitter.com/PWwveQXbHA
— Casey DeSantis (@CaseyDeSantis) July 27, 2023
“Have you read it?” DeSantis asked.
“So, what’s your opinion?” the reporter responded, brushing off DeSantis’ question.
“But you haven’t read it, so I’m just making that clear,” DeSantis hit back.
The Florida governor defended the curriculum, saying that it details the legacy of slavery in “vivid detail.” He then took a shot at Vice President Kamala Harris. (RELATED: ‘Devoted To Telling The Truth’: Co-Author Of Black History Curriculum Slams Kamala Harris’ ‘Lies’)
“So anyone that actually read that and then listens to Kamala would know that she’s lying,” DeSantis said.
Harris has publicly condemned Florida’s black history curriculum multiple times. She flew into Jacksonville to hold a rally denouncing the standards.
“And that particular provision about the skills, that was in spite of slavery, not because of. The AP course has made that same point. Other courses had made that same point. Nobody said anything about that,” DeSantis said.
Florida’s black history curriculum has been harshly criticized over a provision which states that teachers should instruct students about skills slaves learned that could be used for their own benefit. Prominent Republicans and presidential candidates, including Will Hurd, Asa Hutchinson and Chris Christie, have criticized DeSantis over his state’s teaching of black history. Republican Florida Rep. Byron Donalds also criticized the provision of the curriculum that claims there were benefits to slavery.