DeSantis Likens School Reopenings In His COVID-Ravaged State To Killing Bin Laden

TALLAHASSEE, FL - AUGUST 11: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a collegiate athletics roundtable about fall sports at the Albert J. Dunlap Athletic Training Facility on the campus of Florida State University on August 11, 2020 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ron DeSantis
TALLAHASSEE, FL - AUGUST 11: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a collegiate athletics roundtable about fall sports at the Albert J. Dunlap Athletic Training Facility on the campus of Florida State University on... TALLAHASSEE, FL - AUGUST 11: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a collegiate athletics roundtable about fall sports at the Albert J. Dunlap Athletic Training Facility on the campus of Florida State University on August 11, 2020 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Wednesday drew yet another outlandish comparison as he continues pushing for schools to reopen amid skyrocketing COVID-19 fatalities in the state.

Last month, DeSantis likened school openings to shopping at Home Depot and Walmart.

“I’m confident if you can do Home Depot, if you can do Walmart, if you can do these things, we absolutely can do the schools,” DeSantis said during a press conference last month.

DeSantis similarly drew another baffling comparison during a press conference on Wednesday after bringing up a conversation he recently had with Martin County Superintendent Laurie Gaylord.

“She viewed reopening her schools as a mission akin to a Navy SEAL operation,” DeSantis said. “Just as the SEALs surmounted obstacles to bring Osama bin Laden to justice, so too would the Martin County School system find a way to provide parents with a meaningful choice of in-person instruction or continued distance learning.”

DeSantis’ latest push for schools to reopen comes amid President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos demanding that in-person instruction resume at schools despite surging COVID-19 cases nationwide.

Last month, Trump threatened to withhold federal aid for those that refuse to reopen. During a press conference at the White House on Wednesday, the President said the federal government would send up to 125 million reusable masks to schools as he discussed the release of recommendations stressing a “safe reopening” of schools.

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