ICYMI, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos struggled to answer fairly basic questions about school safety, inequality, sexual assaults on campus, and school choice during a painful 60 Minutes interview that aired Sunday night.
One of the most cringeworthy moments of the interview came when journalist Lesley Stahl pressed DeVos on why public schools in her home state of Michigan were not performing well.
Not only did DeVos fail to provide a cogent response to the question, but she also admitted that she had not visited any of the underperforming schools to find out why they weren't doing better.
"Maybe you should," Stahl told her. "Maybe I should," DeVos replied.
People on the internet were quick to call her out on it.
The crazy thing was that Leslie Stahl wasn't pressing Betsy Devos and she couldn't answer a simple question. #60minutes
DeVos pretty much got schooled on Twitter.
I bet every once in a while Betsy DeVos googles what schools are. https://t.co/jK42oaOrSk
Some envisioned her internet search history.
betsy devos’s phone before that 60 minutes interview
"Are schools doing good?"
I bet Betsy DeVos has typed “Are schools doing good” into Bing.
"What did I just watch" was the general reaction.
I thought that Betsy DeVos interview was an episode of Drunk History but turns out she’s the Secretary of Education
*Cue awkward laughter*
Betsy Devos on @60Minutes with appropriate laugh track
People mentioned the upcoming 60 Minutes interview with Stormy Daniels, another "controversial blonde woman" seeking to embarrass the Trump administration.
We all expected a controversial blonde woman to embarrass the Trump administration on 60 minutes, we just thought it would be Stormy Daniels not Betsy DeVos.
The jokes kept coming.
Betsy DeVos is the human version of when you didn't do the reading but you get called on. https://t.co/LtlWVPcVJX
Betsy vs. Alexa
Betsy DeVos: Alexa, what is a school? Alexa: [cackles]
DeVos vs. Palin
If Betsy Devos played Sarah Palin in checkers, somehow it would end with both of them trapped in a jam jar. https://t.co/B5QsmrXYjy
People observed DeVos's constant smile while fumbling through the questions.
Leslie Stahl: Explain again why burning down public schools with a blowtorch is good for students? Betsy DeVos: I choose B Leslie: This isn’t a multiple choice question Betsy DeVos: C Leslie: Do you even know what a “school” is? Betsy: (smiles so hard her mouth bleeds)
Some people came to DeVos's defense.
Can I just say, I have no particular opinion on Betsy DeVos, and she seems like a perfectly nice, capable person with whom I have had no particular argument on policy but... HOLY COW has the left treated her with PARTICULAR vitriol - from the FIRST. Knock it OFF you PIGS. Geez.
They felt Stahl was "mean and unprofessional" in the interview.
@60Minutes why was Leslie Stahl so mean and unprofessional when interviewing Betsy Devos? It would be nice if she let the Secretary answer her questions. Her anti-Trump bias came through loud and clear. Terrible!
A few thought the interview was a "hit piece."
@60Minutes The Devos interview was a hit piece. Where was the point that Leslie Stahl ignored - about how Obama's PROMISE program help school shooter Cruz fly under the radar? The dishonest anti-Republican media is why Devos is "most hated" Trump cabinet member.
But many noted that Stahl appeared to have more knowledge about the education system than the education secretary.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos contradicts herself and struggles to answer basic questions about the nation’s schools during this 60 Minutes interview — to the point where Lesley Stahl is giving her advice on how to do her job. https://t.co/gTV91W8p3z
And they hailed Stahl for asking her pressing questions.
Me, ”What did you have for lunch?” Lesley Stahl, “Betsy DeVos.”
DeVos's apparent ignorance of the public school system just could not be ignored.
DEVOS: A good public school must have a joust…big turkey legs…a lusty wench playin' the harp STAHL: Ma’am I think you're describing a Renaissance Fair DEVOS [smiling]: At special public schools you can ride a pony
"It sounds like you've never seen a motherfucking school in your life." — Stahl, probably.
"Ms. Devos," said Lesley Stahl, leaning back and lowering her glasses. "It sounds like you've never seen a motherfucking school in your life."
Stahl's expressions said it all.
Actual brief flicker of horror in Lesley Stahl’s eyes as DeVos dances around a question about institutional racism.
There were some painful moments.
A good indication that your interview isn't going well is when a visibly pained Lesley Stahl closes her eyes for a few seconds to collect herself. https://t.co/jI5ksTJJVh
Pictured: U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos (left) being interviewed by Lesley Stahl (right) on "60 Minutes."
In conclusion:
We are all Lesley Stahl.