Former President Donald Trump has once again stirred up public opinion by hinting at his desire to close the US Department of Education in a conversation with tech billionaire Elon Musk. But was this just a spur-of-the-moment statement, or is there actually a plan being quietly mapped out?

Trump has long been publicly opposed to the existence of the US Department of Education, arguing that the education system should be handed over to the states to manage. During his 2024 campaign, he emphasized that the federal government was “manipulating” education with curricula that he and his supporters called “far left.”

The idea of ​​closing the Department of Education is not new, but the fact that Trump was able to discuss it with Elon Musk makes it all the more remarkable.

As one of the world’s leading creative minds, Musk has often criticized the traditional education system. He once founded his own school for his children with a completely different approach to public education. Musk believes that today’s schools are not really preparing students to succeed in the modern technological world.

What could Musk’s agreement with Trump lead to? Are the two secretly planning to completely transform the entire US education system?

Many experts say that closing the US Department of Education is almost impossible, because it is an important federal agency that has existed since 1979 and manages billions of dollars in education budgets each year. Dissolving the agency would require congressional approval, something that even Republicans are not entirely on board with.

However, given the influence of Trump and Musk, are they trying to change the US education system in the direction they want? Or is this just a publicity stunt to attract attention?

Only time will tell, but if these two powerful figures do indeed embark on a plan to reform American education, it would certainly be a political earthquake that cannot be ignored.

Elon Musk says Trump ‘will succeed’ at dismantling Department of Education

WASHINGTON (CITC) — Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), said Monday President Donald Trump will “succeed” at dismantling the U.S. Department of Education.

The Trump administration is preparing an executive order to begin the process of eliminating the federal agency, according to various reports. The order would reportedly direct the secretary of education to create a plan to do so.

A Senate confirmation hearing for Linda McMahon, Trump’s nominee for secretary of education, has yet to be scheduled.

“Reagan campaigned on ending the federal Dept of Education, which was created by Carter in 1979, but it was bigger when Reagan left office than when he started!” Musk wrote via X. “Not this time. [Trump] will succeed.”

Trump repeatedly pledged while campaigning for president to make sweeping changes to education, including dismantling the Department of Education. In September 2023, the then-Republican presidential candidate shared a video to social media saying he would send all “education work and needs” to individual states if elected.

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The United States spends more money on education than any other country in the world and yet, we get the worst outcomes,” Trump said at the time. “We’re at the bottom of every list.”

Closing a federal agency requires action by Congress. Multiple Republican lawmakers have introduced bills this year to eliminate the Department of Education.

The possible executive order follows last week’s release of the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores. The assessment found U.S. fourth and eighth grade students are still behind pre-pandemic levels in reading and math.

The White House issued a statement Wednesday calling the scores “unacceptable” and blaming the Democratic Party for students’ struggles.

“Over the past four years, Democrats have allowed millions of illegal minors into our country, straining school resources and diverting attention away from American children,” Harrison Fields, principal deputy press secretary for the White House, said. “This, coupled with the disturbing trend of injecting anti-American CRT and warped DEI indoctrination, is further harming our most vulnerable students.”

Trump following the release of the scores also signed an executive order expanding school choice, another campaign promise.

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten sounded the alarm Tuesday over the potential elimination of the Education Department. During an appearance on CNN, the teachers union president said the move would be illegal.

“You’re talking about millions of kids,” she said. “And what that department really does is it actually makes sure that the money goes out and it’s not stolen.”

Weingarten in December claimed AFT members didn’t “really care” if Trump abolished the department, noting the union was “opposed to its creation” in the 1970s.