Trump wades into education culture war as he eyes race with DeSantis
-
Loading... - Tatianda Reece
- 14 Mar 2023
- 83 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Former President Donald Trump came to Iowa on Monday just days after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the key early voting state and leant into some of the culture-war battles that have propelled the political fortunes of his potential presidential rival.
Speaking to a crowd in a Davenport, Iowa theatre, Trump pledged to prohibit the teaching of so-called critical race theory in state schools, keep transgender athletes from competing in girls' sports and “bring back parental rights into our schools”, all issues that have animated the Republican base in the years since Trump left the White House.
Trump, who is seeking to regain the presidency in 2024, spoke for more than an hour before raising those topics, though the speech had been billed as one focused on education policy.
The former president seemed surprised at the response from the audience, which gave him one of the loudest ovations of the evening.
“This place goes crazy,” he marvelled, “because our country has gone crazy.”
Trump hasn't been waging the same kind of cultural warfare over education that DeSantis and other Republicans have since the coronavirus pandemic. Polls show the messages have galvanised conservatives and hold some potential appeal to independents and Democrats, depending on the particular policy involved.
DeSantis was in Iowa on Friday, speaking at a pair of political events that appeared to be laying groundwork for a presidential bid. His education agenda in Florida was a recurring theme in his remarks, and DeSantis credited it as a reason that he convincingly won re-election last year. Read More…
