TAMPA, Fla. -- Donald Trump will visit Tampa Bay Technical High School Tuesday before holding a campaign rally at the Tampa Bay Fairgrounds.
It's no surprise the president decided to start his Tampa visit at a technical school. Putting people to work is the cornerstone of almost every GOP platform. Vocational schools are their poster children.
Florida gubernatorial candidates -- Republicans Ron DeSantis and Adam Putnam -- are in agreement when it comes to technical schools.
DeSantis has long been a supporter of changing the higher education model.
In a 2015 op-ed piece, DeSantis wrote, " ...we need to open up an alternative market for education that gives students access to federal loan money to put towards non-traditional educational opportunities, such as online learning courses, vocational schools and apprenticeships in skilled trades."
In 2017, DeSantis introduced the HERO Act meant to reform the higher education system.
Perhaps no one loves a tech school more than Adam Putnam. Here's one of his ads.
In the ad, Putnam said, "We need to get back to honoring and respecting experts of a trade. I'll make vocational training a top priority. Our kids should be career ready, not debt ridden. College is not the only path to success and it's OK to say it."
Current Florida Governor and Senate hopeful Rick Scott is supposed to visit Tampa Bay Tech with the President Tuesday. His entire political identity is based around jobs so a vocational school fits the agenda.
President Trump loves jobs, too. When speaking at a forum for young people earlier this year, the President repeated his call for a greater emphasis on trade schools.
Keep in mind, the reason Trump is coming to Tampa is to show his support for Florida governor candidate Ron DeSantis.
In June, Trump tweeted, "Congressman Ron DeSantis, a top student at Yale and Harvard Law School, is running for Governor of the Great State of Florida...He will be a Great Governor & has my full Endorsement.
DeSantis went to Yale and Harvard Law. Adam Putnam graduated from the University of Florida. Rick Scott attended the University of Missouri-Kansas City and earned a law degree from Southern Methodist University. President Trump graduated from the University of Pennsylvania.
They love technical schools. The irony is they didn't go there.
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