Former president Donald Trump on Monday slammed the "insane" US education system and vowed to bring back "common sense" schooling as part of his "America First" campaign platform, touching on a hot-button issue that is expected to dominate next year's election.
Speaking to potential voters in Iowa, he hit on what has increasingly become a cultural flashpoint in the United States, with Republicans taking every opportunity they get to assail Democrats over what they see as the encroachment of “wokeness” into teaching. Trump had previewed his education policy blueprint in January, calling for federal funding cuts to programs teaching children “critical race theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — Trump’s chief potential rival for the Republican nod and a major critic of progressive messaging in classrooms — himself stopped by the Hawkeye State on Friday. DeSantis was close behind, with 74 percent of self-identified Republicans having a favourable opinion of him.