Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday compared reopening schools to killing Osama bin Laden.

Yes, really.

Opening schools is like killing bin Laden, Ron DeSantis says. pic.twitter.com/lDjAj4iTbW
— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) August 13, 2020

During a news conference, DeSantis relayed comments made to him by 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.”

The Washington Post has more.

Reactions from Twitter below.

@GovRonDeSantis makes @realDonaldTrump look like a mensa. https://t.co/NTiJNHMHzp
— Brian (@BrianGrNotABot) August 13, 2020

https://twitter.com/MollyJongFast/status/1293876433895460864

If, say, bin Laden were some modest number of Florida school children, a larger number of their parents and an appalling number of their grandparents. Metaphors are hard. https://t.co/OVqxQbH0Qw
— David Simon (@AoDespair) August 13, 2020

Florida Man… https://t.co/4yiI1mRAjI
— Distracted Squirrel (@BluWaveDave) August 13, 2020

you can't make this stuff up.
given how the teachers and admins died protecting Newtown children (and elsewhere), this is an offensive comparison that should never be made. Schools are not war zones. https://t.co/QZkzbKnbP8
— Greg Dworkin (@DemFromCT) August 13, 2020

https://twitter.com/SteveBobJD/status/1293881868220157952

DeSantis has killed more Americans than Osama bin Laden
— hello (@someonelseslife) August 13, 2020

dear jesus..
going to school should not be like a Rambo montage.

They are systematically destroying American public education https://t.co/7IYW3cUaUn
— TimLeary (@TimLear54800410) August 13, 2020

School kids arriving to class in Ron DeSantis's Florida. https://t.co/6OPIIKP8Gr pic.twitter.com/KV0Hypy9q7
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) August 13, 2020

DeathSantis is comparing sending kids back to school with the navy seals operation to bring down Bin Laden! #DeathSantis lies people die! pic.twitter.com/7DRtA2vKto
— S Cruz GA 💙🍑 (@SacruzGA) August 13, 2020

Ron DeSantis is right, opening schools is exactly like killing bin Laden: it should be done by a Democrat following a carefully researched plan https://t.co/Fmbwbppb9R
— Alan! (o2bnobx on Threads) (@o2bnobx) August 13, 2020