Former President Donald Trump delivered an impassioned speech at the Moms for Liberty’s Joyful Warriors National Summit, promising a slew of executive orders and legislative requests aimed at protecting parental rights and reshaping America’s education system. “There is no earthly force more powerful than the love of a mother for her children,” Trump said, commending the organization for challenging school boards across the nation.
Trump criticized progressives for promoting what he termed controversial ideologies and policies, such as gender activism, critical race theory, and DEI initiatives. He pledged, if re-elected, to “sign several executive orders forbidding federal funding for any school that teaches critical race theory,” while also directing the FBI and the Justice Department to investigate alleged racial discrimination in educational institutions.
Trump went further, promising to halt federal funding to any college or university implementing DEI or LGBTQ+ activism, an act he claimed contributes to declining student performance.
In addition to policies surrounding DEI, Trump took aim at the pandemic mandates enforced by higher education institutions, stating that under his administration, “no federal funding would go to any institution, especially one of higher education, that enforced a mask or vaccine mandate.”
Addressing hormonal treatments for minors, he vowed to set up a presidential commission to investigate pharmaceutical companies providing these services and to cut federal funding to any hospital providing such treatments or gender transition surgeries to minors.
Echoing sentiments recently shared by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump expressed his intention to diminish the influence of the Department of Education, stating, “I’m going to push education back to the states.” He joked about reducing the department to a size that “you could put it inside the Oval Office with me.”
Further on education, Trump proposed “preferential funding” for schools banning tenure pay for K-12 teachers, instead promoting merit-based pay and curricular transparency. His ambitious plan included offering “universal school choice,” electing public school principals through a parental voting system, and addressing violence and discipline issues within public schools.
In regards to athletics, Trump promised to maintain Title IX protections, opposing the participation of transgender women in women’s sports, a topic that has sparked widespread controversy.
Despite touching on other policy changes, from immigration to foreign affairs, Trump’s education-related promises seemed to resonate most deeply with the Moms for Liberty attendees. “His promises indicate he’s willing to use federal funding and investigations as the carrot and stick to reach that goal,” concluding with his call for a return to the basics in education: “reading and writing—it’s that simple.”
