Dear Commons Community,

Donald Trump on Monday suggested “transgender” is the principal subject now taught in schools. He had a sympathetic ear in Fox Nation host Kellyanne Conway, his former adviser who introduced the world to the concept of “alternative facts.”  As reported by The Huffington Post.

“We want reading, writing and arithmetic,” Trump said in a conversation about his plans for education reform if he wins the election next month. “Right now, you have mostly transgender. Everything’s transgender.”

“Some of these school programs, I looked at it the other night ― they’re destroying our country,” the former president added.

Trump prefaced his outrageous assertion ― yet another salvo in the culture wars ― by alluding to his plan to close the Department of Education and turn over education completely to the states. “And they’ll do great,” he said.

The Republican nominee noted that the U.S. spends more money per pupil than any other developed nation ― a claim that the data somewhat supports ― and yet is underperforming globally.

“We want school choice, but we have to get out of this Washington thing,” he said. “We’re gonna move it back to the states.”

The president has leaned on transphobia to characterize public schools as a breeding ground for extreme ideology on gender ― and his online plan for education reflects that.

Cutting federal funding “for any school or program pushing Critical Race Theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children” is the top priority listed on that page.

The plan also lists “Keep men out of women’s sports” as a priority, another sign of the campaign’s embrace of transphobia.

Trump again demonstrates how unhinged his candidacy for president has become.

Tony

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