This fact brief was originally published by Wisconsin Watch. Read the original here. Fact briefs are published by newsrooms in the Gigafact network, and republished by The Fulcrum. Visit Gigafact to learn more.
Did Donald Trump threaten to withhold funding to schools based on how they teach history?
Yes.
Former President Donald Trump said in a TV interview he would withhold federal funding from schools based on how they teach history.
Repeating a pledge he made campaigning, Trump told "Fox & Friends" he would close the U.S. Education Department.
Host Brian Kilmeade asked: "So, let's say you have a liberal city ... and they just decide, 'Oh, we're going to get rid of that history. We have new history. This is America built off the backs of slaves on stolen land.' And that curriculum comes in."
Trump replied: “Then we don't send them money. We would save half of our budget.”
Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers made the claim about what Trump said in an interview about the Nov. 5 election.
About 14% of the $857 billion in fiscal 2022 public K-12 school funding was federal, according to an August 2024 report from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Forbes Breaking News Trump: 'I'm Going To Close The Department Of Education And Move Education Back To The States'
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Fox News Trump says he was 'surprised' Kamala Harris skipped Al Smith dinner: 'Terrible'
Roll Call Donald Trump "Fox & Friends" interview
101.7 The Truth Tony Evers interview
Peter G. Peterson Foundation How Is K-12 Education Funded?
