Trump is pledging to create a federally funded online university that awards free degrees.
Donald Trump wants to “revolutionize” higher education if elected president.
And in a new campaign policy video, he is pledging to do so by creating a federally funded online university that awards free degrees — one where “wokeness or jihadism” are not allowed.
Trump’s latest policy proposal proposes taxing large private university endowments to pay for a new institution called “American Academy.” The school would grant credit to prospective students for past coursework and use their credentials to apply for jobs with the U.S. government and federal contractors, according to plans shared in advance with POLITICO.
Trump’s policy proposal comes as U.S. institutions, including top universities, have come under increased political scrutiny, most recently for their response to the deadly attack on Israel by Hamas. Prominent business leaders, politicians, and donors have criticized their alma maters and even vowed to pull future donations to schools for muddled or muted statements, or for allowing pro-Palestinian speakers on campus.
“We spend more money on higher education than any other country and yet, they’re turning our students into communists and terrorists and sympathizers of many, many different dimensions,” Trump said in a video of his proposal. “We can’t let this happen.”
Trump campaign officials said they have yet to decide who would run American Academy, but said they would look to include private sector resources and they pointed to several potential models, including oversight by an existing government agency, a presidentially appointed board or commission, or a publicly funded private entity.
Using the federal government to create an entirely new educational institution aimed at competing with the thousands of existing schools would drastically reshape American higher education.
Trump would likely need to sell Congress on his plan. In his proposal, Trump calls for supporting the new educational institution by taxing wealthy endowments — which has long been a favorite target of conservatives.
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Trump wants to build a free online university — and make Harvard pay for it https://t.co/WBoOIzlkYU
— POLITICO (@politico) November 1, 2023
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