In a recent interview with journalist Maria Bartiromo, former President Donald Trump addressed a topic that’s grabbing attention across the nation: the Federal Department of Education. Trump boldly stated that this federal entity never should have existed. He suggests that centralized control from Washington, D.C. has turned education into a bureaucratic maze, instead of the nurturing environment it ought to be for children. In typical Trump fashion, he emphasized that education should be about helping children thrive as individuals, much like gardeners tending to their plants rather than carpenters trying to shape them into something they are not.
The former president made it clear that the current education system, heavily influenced by a centralized, technocratic model derived from 19th century Germany, has ultimately failed American children. He nostalgically referred to the classical education of the Founding Fathers, arguing that they were educated in local communities, immersing themselves in the great texts of history and philosophy. Trump declared that today’s approach is running the country’s education system into the ground, and if his vision is realized, dismantling the Department of Education could be one of his greatest accomplishments.
As he dissected the bloated state of America’s educational bureaucracies, Trump highlighted that a staggering number of individuals employed in education—around 11 million—are not even teachers. Instead, Trump claims the bulk of this workforce consists of administrative bureaucrats, often referred to as “paper pushers.” It’s like a circus where the clowns outnumber the performers. The message here is loud and clear: too many cooks are spoiling the educational broth.
While he stressed the importance of school choice, the former president also championed a plan to transfer control of education back to the states. With this decentralization, he believes that the states can run their schools more effectively and efficiently, improving the quality of education without the federal government meddling in the affairs of local classrooms. Trump pointed out that, despite huge expenditures per pupil, the U.S. ranks disappointingly low in educational outcomes compared to other industrialized nations.
An alarming case he highlighted was that of a young woman who graduated high school with honors—yet shockingly, she cannot read or write. This farcical scenario underscores Trump’s argument about the failure of the Department of Education. He suggested that what’s being produced under the current system is not just a decline in educational standards, but a grave threat to the nation’s future. If America is to regain its educational prowess, a radical shift away from centralized control is essential. After all, if the government continues to dictate educational standards, the quality of learning is bound to suffer, leaving worrisome stories of honor students who can’t read as more than just anecdotes but rather a symptom of a much larger problem.
In a world increasingly reliant on local input, Trump’s message resonates with those who believe that education should be a community-based effort, emphasizing family and local values rather than a top-down government approach. As the winds of change swirl around the education landscape, one thing stands out: there’s a desire among many to reclaim education as a personal and local pursuit, free from bureaucratic entanglements, and focused on raising a generation of thinkers rather than mere test-takers.
