“Fascism requires a populace that’s uneducated and afraid,” warns historian Heather Richardson.
“Destroying public education isn’t just a policy—it’s a prerequisite for tyranny.”

“Are You Out of Your Fascist Mind?”: Fury Erupts Over
Trump’s Threat to Annihilate the Department of Education

Washington, D.C. — Donald Trump’s latest authoritarian gambit—floating the annihilation of the U.S. Department of Education—has ignited a firestorm of outrage, with critics accusing the president of embracing fascist tactics to dismantle public education, suppress marginalized voices, and consolidate power. The proposal, dismissed by many as unhinged, underscores a broader Republican crusade to weaponize education as a tool of ideological control, sparking fierce backlash from educators, parents, and civil rights leaders.

The Threat: Erasing Federal Protections, Silencing Progress

Trump’s radical vision, touted at recent far-right rallies and in interviews with extremist allies, calls for shuttering the Department of Education, a move he claims would “return power to the states.” But educators and policy experts warn the plan is a thinly veiled assault on civil rights, equity, and the very foundation of public schooling.

Since its creation in 1979, the Department has enforced desegregation, protected disabled students under IDEA, and safeguarded Title IX rights for women and LGBTQ+ students. Its dissolution would gut federal oversight, allowing red states to whitewash curricula, defund low-income schools, and erase protections for vulnerable communities.

“This isn’t about ‘states’ rights’—it’s about stripping away the right to learn, to thrive, and to exist,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. “Trump and his MAGA cronies want to turn classrooms into battlegrounds where history is rewritten, books are banned, and only the privileged get a fair shot.”

A Dark History: From DeVos to “Project 2025”

Trump’s latest salvo builds on his administration’s relentless attacks on public education. Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, a billionaire champion of privatization, spent four years funneling taxpayer dollars into unregulated charter schools while slashing protections for student borrowers and survivors of campus sexual assault.

Now, Trump’s ties to the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025”—a 920-page extremist blueprint for a second term—reveal even darker ambitions. The plan demands dismantling the Department of Education, abolishing free school lunches, and banning federal diversity initiatives.

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist, called the agenda “a fascist fever dream,” adding, “They’re not just coming for our schools—they’re coming for our democracy. This is about replacing truth with propaganda, equality with oppression.”

Who Pays the Price? Students of Color, Poor Communities, and LGBTQ+ Youth

The consequences of Trump’s plan would be catastrophic. Without federal enforcement:

• States could ignore mandates to support students with disabilities.
• Title I funding, which allocates $16 billion annually to high-poverty schools, would vanish, widening the resource gap.
• LGBTQ+ students would lose federal safeguards against discrimination.
• Student debt relief programs, already under GOP attack, would be axed entirely.

“This is white supremacy in action,” said Marley Dias, founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks. “They want to lock Black and brown kids into underfunded schools, erase their history, and pretend systemic racism doesn’t exist. It’s disgusting.”

Republican-led states offer a grim preview. Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law has forced LGBTQ+ teachers into hiding, while Texas schools purge books on race and slavery. In Oklahoma, superintendents warn that dissolving federal oversight would “return us to the 1950s—separate and unequal.”

The Backlash: “We Will Fight This Tyranny”

The response has been swift and furious. The NAACP filed a preemptive legal warning against any move to disband the Department, while student-led groups like March for Our Lives pledged nationwide walkouts. “They think we’ll stay quiet while they rob us of our futures?” said Zara Muhammad, a 17-year-old organizer in Michigan. “We survived school shootings. We’ll survive Trump’s fascism too.”

Teachers’ unions are mobilizing strikes, and progressive lawmakers are pushing bills to fortify federal education mandates. “This is a five-alarm fire for our democracy,” said Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), a former educator. “We will not let Trump torch our schools to fuel his authoritarian fantasies.”

The Bigger Picture: Education as the Frontline of Democracy

Trump’s war on education is no outlier—it’s a pillar of his authoritarian playbook. By gutting public schools, he empowers a privatized, for-profit system that siphons taxpayer dollars into the pockets of GOP donors. Meanwhile, banning “critical race theory” and “woke” ideals ensures future generations remain ignorant of systemic injustice.

“Fascism requires a populace that’s uneducated and afraid,” warned historian Heather Cox Richardson. “Destroying public education isn’t just a policy—it’s a prerequisite for tyranny.”

As Trump echoes Hitler’s playbook—scapegoating institutions, targeting marginalized groups, and glorifying “patriotic education”—the stakes have never been clearer. The Department of Education is not a bureaucratic abstraction. It’s a lifeline for millions. Dismantling it would be an act of violence.

The Fight Ahead

For now, the Department remains intact, but the threat is visceral. November’s election will decide whether U.S. schools become laboratories of fascist indoctrination or remain pillars of pluralistic democracy. As Trump’s allies plot, educators and activists refuse to relent.

“They’ll have to pry our textbooks from our cold, dead hands,” said Weingarten.

#FascistEducationAgenda #DefendPublicEd #TrumpVsDemocracy
#EducationUnderFire #HandsOffOurSchools