Doocy grills Psaki over Democrat backlash to Florida's anti-groomer law

As the backlash against Florida's anti-grooming law continues into a new week, Peter Doocy of Fox News grilled White House press secretary Jen Psaki at Monday's press conference. Psaki at first fell back in repeating the White House's earlier opinion, but then she snapped at the reporter when he pressed further.

"What about this new law in Florida: At what age does the White House think that students should be taught about sexual orientation and gender identity?" he asked.

Psaki replied: "Well I would say first of all, Peter, that we've spoken to the 'Don't Say Gay' bill, in the past, I believe is what you are referring to, and made clear that…as we look at this law, what we think it's a reflection of, is politicians in Florida propagating misinformed, hateful policies that do absolutely nothing to address the real issues. The Department of Education is well-positioned and ready to evaluate what to do next, and whether its implementation violates federal civil rights law. But I would note that parents across the country are looking to national, state, and district leaders to support our nation's students, to ensure that kids are treated equally in schools and this is certainly not a reflection of that."

The White House has previously labeled Florida's anti-grooming law as an attack on trans kids, accused it of discriminating against children, and alleged the "parental rights" purpose behind the bill was a political smokescreen.

"So if you guys imposed this law that bans classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in K through three…Does the White House support that kind of classroom instruction before kindergarten?" Doocy asked.

Paski volleyed: "Do you have examples of schools in Florida that are teaching kindergarteners about sex education?"

"I'm just asking for the president's opinion," Doocy responded. Psaki said "that's a relevant question, because I think this is a politically-charged, harsh law that is putting parents and LGBTQ+ kids in a very difficult heartbreaking circumstance."

The reaction from the Disney corporation has prolonged the public's focus on Florida's anti-grooming law, as parents continue to boycott the company after Disney leadership sided with political activist pressures.

Other questions asked Monday include check-ins on the topic of Russia amid accusations that Putin is committing war crimes amidst his invasion of Ukraine.