Ivy Leaguer DeSantis mocks ‘deep in debt’ college grads for not becoming truck drivers: ‘The joke’s on’ them

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a graduate of Harvard and Yale universities, on Tuesday mocked people who take out student loans to pursue liberal arts degrees instead of becoming truck drivers or boat builders.

"In fact, kind of the joke's on some of the people who have gone the university route, and they wind up deep in debt with no opportunities, and so they would have been better off maybe trying something else," DeSantis told the International Boatbuilders Exhibition in Tampa. "I'm sure this industry needs good folks. You have folks, I mean, driving the trucks. You have people who are electrical. I mean, it is, there's never been a better time to do (it)."

DeSantis cited a recent Wall Street Journal article about the decline in men attending college, which is now at a record low compared to women, according to a report from Florida Politics.

"Decrying a perceived 'stigma' against trade education, DeSantis couldn't resist taking one more swipe at people who borrowed money in pursuit of liberal arts degrees," the site reported.

"I guess there was a decline in the number of men, the percentage of men going to college or whatever. And they acted like this was a bad thing. And honestly, like, you know, to me, I think that is probably a good sign," DeSantis said. "Because I think people are looking at this and they're acknowledging, you know, some of these universities are not giving you very much for your money. You're not necessarily going to get ahead in that."

"If you want to do the college, I'm not saying don't," DeSantis added. "It is very, very good for a lot of people. But certainly it's not the right thing for everyone."

Florida Politics reported that, "DeSantis, who recently spotlighted the top-five ranking for the University of Florida, saved the balance of these remarks for the boatbuilders rather than the reporters on hand for that event earlier this month in Gainesville."