WHY DO TRUMP AND REPUBLICANS HATE THE THINGS THAT MAKE US SMARTER AND MAKE US BETTER CITIZENS?

Americans have always had a strong belief in education. The K-12 education system in the U.S. ranks among the top 20 education systems in the world.  It is known especially for teaching critical thinking and knowledge that can be used in dealing with the challenges in life, not just teaching how to memorize facts.  American universities are considered some of the best in the world.  Much of the high impact research in many categories is created in these universities. Most U.S. Presidents have valued American education and research, and their administrations have contributed to its wellbeing.

However, something has changed. This Administration and Republicans are eliminating everything that has made American Education Great. Why? 

Robert Reich has listed five ways that is happening.

1.      Trump is pushing education systems to stop teaching about the history of negative things that have happened in our country and to only emphasize the positive.  That means pretending that slavery and segregation were not so bad, that white settlers did not harm Native Americans in their push to take over territory, and that the LGBTQIA + movement never happened. Why?  “He who controls the past controls the future” (George Orwell, 1984).  If citizens can be made to believe that our country has never harmed anyone, they can be convinced to trust all of this administration’s decisions.

Trump and Republicans are eliminating the Department of Education and are intending to slash funding for K-12 public schools.  They also are trying to pressure universities to let Mr. Trump determine policies on which students are admitted, which professors become faculty, and what topics can be used for instruction.

Huge cuts to university research funding have already occurred.  Why? Instead of valuing critical thinking skills, this approach values creation of “patriots” who unquestioningly follow their leader and make resistance less likely.

2.      Trump and Republicans are attempting to make science political by eliminating or cutting resources for the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Food and Drug Administration.  Trump put Robert Kennedy Jr., who is not a physician nor a scientist and is known for his anti-science views and false claims, in charge of the Department of Health and Human Services. Why? Science values objective facts.  Facts are a threat to authoritarians who demand unquestioning loyalty and a willingness to accept “facts” that are created by them versus facts that are real.

3.      Trump is striking back at any of the media that he feels are critical of him.  He has sued ABC and CBS for millions of dollars, has threatened to eliminate licenses to broadcast, and has eliminated funding for PBS and NPR.  Why?  If Americans have free access to media that is not controlled by the government, they will be more likely to refuse to accept Trump’s changes to our system of government without question.  Access to truthful media flies against the government’s desire to oversee all the knowledge its citizens acquire.

4.      Trump is also attacking the arts.  His administration has been eliminating grants to the National Endowment of the Arts and has insisted that the Smithsonian Museum cancel exhibits with “improper ideology”.  In particular, he has focused on criticizing the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Women’s History Museum, which is still in the planning stages.  He fired all the members of the board of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, known for being bipartisan, who were appointed by President Biden.  He appointed himself as board chairman and brought in new board members who were all politically compatible with his beliefs.  Why?  By participating in or observing art, we are stimulated to become more aware of our own thinking and challenge it, and we are more able to see the world that exists outside of our own small spheres. Reich says, “to limit art is to limit free speech and expression”.

What is the impact of all of this?

If Trump wants to achieve power over us, the best way to do that is to control our ability to think.  And, the way to do that is to oversee our access to information and our accumulation of knowledge.  These actions are an attack on our ability to ask the questions that are necessary to maintain our democracy. Reich concludes that “Ignorance is the handmaiden of tyranny”.

In other words, Trump wants you to be ignorant so you can’t ask questions or oppose his actions.

What can we do to counter this?

●       Monitor how your thoughts are being influenced by misinformation provided by the Trump administration, republicans, or any media that has been corrupted by its interference.

●       Make sure that you inform other people of what is happening.                                          

●       Write letters and contact media to complain about any changes in programming that affect your ability to question and learn.                                                                                                        

Sources

●       Why Does Trump Hate Sesame Street?  By Robert Reich   7/15/25   Excellent video       Inequality media.org

Pros and Cons of US Education System:   A Complete Guide      https://kadamboverseas.com/pros-and-cons-of-us-education-system/