President Donald Trump called the Department of Education a “con job,” after saying he saw a report that the nation ranks 40th around the world in education, but number one in cost per pupil.
Trump spoke with reporters on Wednesday afternoon from the Oval Office when he was asked how soon he wanted the Department of Education (DOE) to be closed.
“Oh, I’d like it to be closed immediately. Look at the Department of Education. It’s a big con job,” he answered. “They ranked the top countries in the world. We’re ranked number 40th, but we’re ranked number 1 in 1 department: cost per pupil. So, we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked number 40.”
Trump said the last time he looked at where the U.S. ranked in education, it was ranked 38th, but then he looked two days ago, and the country had fallen to number 40.
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President Trump said he would like the Department of Education to close immediately. (Donald Trump 2024 campaign)
He even noted that China had ranked in the top five.
“As big as it is, it’s ranked in the top five, and that’s our…primary competitor,” Trump said. “So, if we’re ranked number 40, that means something’s really wrong.”
The president has ordered the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the department led by Elon Musk, to find ways to slash wasteful spending, and the DOE made the chopping block this week.
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WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 21: The US Department of Education building is seen on August 21, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images) (Tierney L. Cross)
In fact, DOGE announced on Monday that $881 million was being cut in connection with 89 DOE contracts.
Of that $881 million, DOGE identified $101 million that was being used for DEI training, including teaching educators to “help students understand/interrogate the complex histories involved in oppression, and help students recognize areas of privilege and power on an individual and collective basis.”
“Your tax dollars were spent on this,” Musk wrote of the DOE spending.
Last month, Trump signed two executive orders on education: one to remove federal funding from K-12 schools that teach critical race theory (CRT), and another to support school choice.
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Critical race theory (CRT) has emerged as polarizing topic in recent years. (Robert Gauthier)
The teaching of CRT, and other controversial content in schools, has sparked backlash from parents at school board meetings across the nation over the past several years. During his presidential campaign, Trump pledged to cut federal funding for schools that promote CRT, transgender ideology and “any other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content on our children.”
Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders targeting federal funding for schools as testing scores continue to drop, according to the Nation’s Report Card.
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Trump administration officials are also reportedly weighing a plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, according to a Wall Street Journal report published last week.
Fox News Digital’s Kristine Parks contributed to this report.
