Randi Weingarten backpedals after claiming DeSantis would cause 'millions' to die in Florida
American Federation of Teachers president walked back her claim Thursday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Randi Weingarten, president of the largest U.S. teachers' union, on Thursday walked back her claim that "millions" of people would die under Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' leadership.
Weingarten said in a Wednesday tweet that "millions of Floridians are going to die for Ron DeSantis' ignorance" in response to an article from The Washington Post pointing out anti-Dr. Anthony Fauci merchandise on the Republican governor's official website.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After receiving some criticism for her hyperbole, the American Federation of Teachers president backtracked the claim on Thursday.
"You are all probably right… I shouldn’t have said millions," Weingarten tweeted. "I should have just said DeSantis was wrong to do this.. Fauci is an amazing public servant. He shoudn’t be mocked. But I shouldn’t engage in that kind of hyperbole either. My bad…"
Christina Pushaw, DeSantis' press secretary, had shot back at Weingarten's claim, touting the governor's record during the pandemic.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Florida’s COVID death rate is lower than the national average, and unlike the Governor of New York, we don’t fudge the numbers," Pushaw wrote in a tweet. "Meanwhile, Randi Weingarten ruined the education of millions of kids by keeping them out of school for more than a year based on a conspiracy theory."
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Florida was one of the first states to completely reopen schools and businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}There have been 2.3 million total coronavirus cases and more than 38,000 related deaths in Florida.
The state on Monday announced 12,624 additional coronavirus cases, marking the second-highest one-day rise in cases in the country, with 35 new deaths. On Sunday, Florida set a new national record for the largest daily increase in coronavirus cases in the U.S. at 15,300.
Fox News' Joseph A. Wulfson and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.