CBS News tried to paint Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a bigot in an interview in which he was probed about his state’s stance on bringing identity politics into classrooms.
It backfired, as he was prepared to answer what was a loaded question.
Florida teachers are not permitted to discuss critical race theory, sex or extreme gender ideologies with small children.
Last year, Democrats and much of the corporate media blasted the state over the signing of the Parental Rights in Education law, which DeSantis supported and signed.
The law, which opponents called the “Don’t Say Gay” law, reads in part:
“Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
In a two-part interview with CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell that aired on Tuesday and Wednesday, the host at one point asked DeSantis about far-left ideologies and their overlap with education.
But the segment never made it onto CBS, as O’Donnell explained during Wednesday’s show that her network found other issues more important.
CBS News did post the clip online.
The NAACP issued a travel advisory in May that called Florida “openly hostile for African Americans, people of color, and LGBTQ individuals.” 2024 Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded to the warning in a sit-down interview with @NorahODonnell. pic.twitter.com/kYFcKMRg1f
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) September 13, 2023
In it, the governor and presidential hopeful did not hesitate to go toe-to-toe with O’Donnell when pressed he was pressed by her use of a common media tactic meant to portray conservatives as bigoted.
“Most gay people say they knew they were gay since they were a kid,” O’Donnell said. “They’ve known most of their life they were gay.”
DeSantis was quick to respond.
“Here’s the question,” he said, “What does that have to do with math class, or English class or history class?”
O’Donnell immediately pivoted to asking DeSantis if gay people should feel “accepted” at school.”
DeSantis responded, “Everyone should be accepted.”
CBS was caught being deceptive in a “60 Minutes” segment regarding DeSantis and the grocery store chain Publix in 2021 regarding its contract with Florida to distribute COVID vaccines to seniors.
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