President Donald J. Trump brought conservatives to their feet Saturday night when he proposed abolishing the U.S. Department of Education.
“Across the country, we need to implement strict prohibitions on teaching inappropriate racial, sexual, and political material to America’s schoolchildren in any form whatsoever,” Trump said while speaking at CPAC 2022 in Dallas. “And if federal bureaucrats are going to push this radicalism, we should abolish the Department of Education.”
The president’s declaration was met with a roar of approval from the crowd.
Trump also criticized the recent push to allow biological males to participate in women’s sports, inviting four-time SEC Championship swimmer Riley Gaines up to the stage to share her thoughts on the subject.
“Basically, all I want to say is that it takes a brain and common sense and fifth-grade-biology-level understanding to realize this is blatantly unfair,” she said, adding, “Keep female sports female!”
As he thanked the young woman for her courage, Trump seized upon the opportunity to inject some humor into the situation to the audience’s delight.
“Just to show you how ridiculous it is, look at me,” he joked. “I’m much bigger and much stronger than her. There’s no way she could beat me in swimming!”
Trump’s comments on education come amid growing concerns among parents across the country at what content and treatment children are being subjected to in schools. As a result, states have increasingly begun banning the teaching of concepts like critical race theory in classrooms and age-inappropriate discussions.
Throughout the primary election season, the subject has already proven to be a hot-button issue, with Trump-endorsed candidates like Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake criticizing the increased sexualization of children in recent years.
“They kicked God out of schools and welcomed the Drag Queens,” she tweeted in June. “They took our Flag and replaced it with a rainbow. They seek to disarm Americans and militarize our Enemies. Let’s bring back the basics: God, Guns & Glory.”
Lake, along with several other Trump endorsees, won her primary race earlier this week.
With the general election right around the corner, the status of the education system is bound to continue to be a priority for voters as they head to the ballot box.