Sen. Tim Scott(R-South Carolina) condemned Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for supporting new Florida education standards requiring students to be taught about the “benefits” of slavery.
DeSantis, who is currently trailing GOP frontrunner Donald Trump in the presidential primary race, is known for his extreme views and criticism of “wokeness.” He recently signed a state law requiring instructors to teach middle schoolers that “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”
Scott, also a presidential candidate, told a press conference that he hoped “every person in our country, and certainly running for president, would appreciate that” slavery was not something to be celebrated.
“There is no silver lining in slavery,” he told reporters. “Slavery was really about separating families, about mutilating humans and even raping their wives. It was just devastating.”
The new Florida standards prompted a visit from Vice President Kamala Harris, who traveled to Jacksonville last week to denounce the curriculum.
Though DeSantis still has a significant lead over Scott, Republican donors are beginning to question the Florida governor’s views and have recently been diverting their money toward the senator. Scott has been attempting to juxtapose himself as a more moderate conservative candidate.
Despite his opposition to the new law, Scott noted that “people have bad days” and suggested that DeSantis may be regretting his decision to back the controversial measure.
