--- title: What Trump's Win Means for Education description: Donald Trump will be serving a second presidential term, and with both chambers of Congress likely under Republican leadership—though the House is still to be decided— the future of education in the U.S. could starkly change. canonical: https://time.com/7174651/what-trump-winning-means-for-education/ author: Solcyré Burga article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-11-08T23:43:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:48:20.107Z article:section: Politics og:title: What Trump's Win Means for Education og:description: Trump has pledged to dismantle the Department of Education, among other things. og:url: https://time.com/7174651/what-trump-winning-means-for-education/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta81322a7af0c3c3d/698a9c1ccabb1d8d4ae5b44a/GettyImages-2183214745.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump Holds Election Night Event In West Palm Beach og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What Trump's Win Means for Education twitter:description: Trump has pledged to dismantle the Department of Education, among other things. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta81322a7af0c3c3d/698a9c1ccabb1d8d4ae5b44a/GettyImages-2183214745.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What Trump's Win Means for Education > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ef585ed9-6e14-4441-9068-f7b5bf225b86&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Twice a week | time.com/newsletters, September 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ef585ed9-6e14-4441-9068-f7b5bf225b86&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=ef585ed9-6e14-4441-9068-f7b5bf225b86&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ef585ed9-6e14-4441-9068-f7b5bf225b86&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Trump Declares Election Victory in Speech to Supporters [Watch (HLS stream): Trump Declares Election Victory in Speech to Supporters](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yb0xE9vU.m3u8) (3:51)  _Published 2024-11-06. Republican former President Donald Trump claimed victory in his race against Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris for the White House._  by [Solcyré Burga](https://time.com/author/solcyre-burga/)  ## Solcyré Burga Reporter Nov 8, 2024 11:43 PM UTC Republican former President Donald Trump claimed victory in his race against Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris for the White House.  by [Solcyré Burga](https://time.com/author/solcyre-burga/)  ## Solcyré Burga Reporter Nov 8, 2024 11:43 PM UTC Donald Trump will be serving a second presidential term, and with both chambers of Congress likelyunder Republican leadership—though the House is still to be decided— the future of education in the U.S. could starkly change. Trump has pledged to dismantle the Department of Education, cut federal funding for schools teaching critical race theory, and bar transgender female athletes from participating in school sports. “The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail. He will deliver,” Trump-Vance Transition Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told TIME in a statement. Trump’s transition team did not respond to specific questions regarding which of his policies will take priority come January. Here’s what to know. ## **Dismantling the Department of Education** On the campaign trail, the President-elect vowed to eliminate the Department of Education, which has been a cabinet-level agency since 1980\. The Department takes on numerous functions: designating federal aid through Title I, which gives state and local funding for schools serving low-income families, handing out Pell Grants, and regulating student loan relief through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program or income-based repayment plans. Experts tell TIME that dismantling the Department of Education is likely improbable. “It is entirely feasible to close down the Department of Education, but the functions of the Department of Education will need to continue,” says Ted Mitchell, president of American Council on Education, an organization that convenes higher education associations to discuss student issues. That’s because the Education Department has numerous moving parts. It houses the Office of Civil Rights, which enforces federal civil rights laws across schools to protect students against discrimination. Regulations by the Education Department also affect college sports, which Josh Cowen, an education policy Michigan State University professor and author of _The Privateers, How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers_, says Republicans would likely not want to see impacted. Grants or funds designated by Congress would also need a new federal home. “They're going to have to also take the federal programs and the funding streams that they want to continue to reauthorize, and find new institutional homes for that,” Cowen adds. ## **Reducing funds for DEI and Critical Race Theory** On his campaign website, Trump promised to “cut federal funding for any school or program pushing [Critical Race Theory](https://time.com/5891138/critical-race-theory-explained/) or gender ideology on our children.” (Critical race theory refers to academic frameworks that teach systemic racism is embedded in American society.) Trump has also spoken out against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) measures at colleges and universities across the country. Campaigning against DEI has proven popular across Republican strongholds, as already some 10 states have passed restrictions on DEI that have shut down offices at public universities—including Kentucky and North Carolina. “It's absolutely accurate and fair to say that the Trump administration will be looking to penalize any institution, whether K-12 or higher ed, for administering DEI programs,” says Cowen. “How much money they can remove, how hard they can make life bureaucratically, those are still slightly open questions, but they're absolutely going to try that.” Amy Loyd, CEO of nonprofit All4Ed, says that the Trump Administration could target funding for such programs through avenues such as the Higher Education Act or Congress. “\[The Trump Administration\] could work with Congress on the reauthorization of any of the foundational funding streams for education,” she says. ## **Erode rights of LGBTQ+ students** Experts predict the rights of LGBTQ+ students would suffer under a Trump Administration due to the changes that would likely be made to Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education. The Biden Administration attempted to expand protections under Title IX to include the LGBTQ+ community**,** and particularly transgender students, in April. But the expansion has faced legal challenges from Republican-led states, blocking the protections from being implemented across 26 states. Trump would not need Congressional authority to make changes on Title IX’s guidance. Trump has also said on numerous occasions that he would ban transgender female athletes, who he refers to as “men” from participating in sports that match with their gender identity. “We will of course keep men out of women’s sports,” he said during a speech on Nov. 2 in Virginia. ## **Impact sexual assault victims on-campus** During Trump’s first term, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos [announced](https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/06/politics/education-secretary-betsy-devos-title-ix-regulations/index.html) regulations that would better protect people being accused of campus sexual harassment and assault under Title IX. Biden reversed parts of that guidance—in particular, the Trump-era definition of sexual harassment, which critics argued made victims less likely to report crimes—this spring, but some experts like Mitchell predict that sexual assault victims could become vulnerable yet again under Trump. ## **Expand “parental rights”** To understand what would change regarding education under a Trump Administration, experts say people can also glean what is happening in Republican states with the parental rights movement. The push has been behind [book bans](https://time.com/6321014/banned-books-literature/)—which are forecasted to have [nearly tripled](https://www.infodocket.com/2024/09/23/new-data-preliminary-findings-from-pen-america-show-over-10000-books-were-banned-in-public-schools-during-the-2023-2024-school-year-vs-3362-in-previous-school-year/#:~:text=About%208%2C000%20book%20bans%20were,300%20titles%20for%20several%20months.) from the previous school year— and [‘Don’t Say Gay’ laws](https://time.com/6263694/florida-dont-say-gay-laws-expansion/) in states such as Florida and Texas. Trump vowed to “adopt a Parental Bill of Rights, and implement the direct election of school principals by the parents” on his campaign website. While Trump has distanced himself from Project 2025, the policy agenda outlines plans to use federal education funding for private schools. State legislators have been unsuccessful in passing bills that would do so. “Three states had this exact thing on the ballot on Tuesday, and voters rejected them in all three states, including two states, Nebraska and Kentucky, that went for Donald Trump,” says Cowen. A similar measure did not pass in Colorado. ## **Censorship and free speech** Debates around free speech earned momentum across college campuses amid [pro-Palestinian encampments and protests](https://time.com/6973166/columbia-university-city-college-pro-palestinian-protests-arrests/) earlier this year in the U.S. Trump has previously called himself the “president of law and order” and vowed to restore free speech, end censorship, and bar federal funding for nonprofit and academic programs that engage in censorship. But, In 2020, Trump threatened to use federal force to end protests following the murder of George Floyd. He praised police crackdowns on student protestors and told wealthy donors that he would remove student demonstrators from the country, if elected, [according to the Washington _Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/27/trump-israel-gaza-policy-donors/). ## Transcript [00:00] Be an American wearing these stands. [00:05] And I won't forget the men who Thank you very much, Wow. [00:21] Well, I want to thank you all very much. [00:24] This is great. These are our friends. [00:26] We have thousands of friends on this incredible movement. [00:31] This was a movement like nobody's ever seen before. [00:36] And frankly, this was, [00:41] I believe, the greatest political movement of all time. [00:46] There's never been anything like this in this country and maybe beyond. [00:50] And now it's going to reach a new level of importance because [00:55] we're going to help our country heal. [00:59] We're gonna help our country heal. [01:01] We have a country that needs help, [01:04] and it needs help very badly. [01:06] We're gonna fix our borders. [01:08] We're gonna fix everything about our country. [01:11] And we made history for a reason tonight, [01:15] and the reason is going to be just that. [01:17] We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible, [01:21] and it is now clear that we've achieved the most incredible political thing. [01:27] Look what happened. Is this crazy? [01:31] So want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being [01:36] elected your 47th president and your 45th President. [01:45] And every citizen, I will fight for you, [01:48] for your family, and your future. [01:52] Every single day, I will be fighting for you. [01:54] And with every breath in my body, [01:58] I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe, [02:02] and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve. [02:07] This will truly be the Golden Age of America. That's what we have to. [02:16] This is a magnificent victory for the American people [02:20] that will allow us to make America great again. [02:28] We also have won the popular vote. That was great. [02:35] Oh. [02:44] Thank you. Thank you very much. [02:53] Thank you. Winning the popular vote was very nice, very nice. [02:58] I will tell you. It's a great feeling of love. [03:02] We have a great feeling of love in this very large room. [03:05] With unbelievable people standing by my side, [03:09] these people have been incredible. [03:12] They've made the journey with me, [03:14] and we're going to make you very happy. [03:17] We're going to make you very proud of your vote. [03:19] I hope that you're going to be looking back someday and say that [03:22] was one of the truly important moments of [03:25] my life when I voted for this group of [03:28] people beyond the president, this group of great people. [03:34] America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate. [03:42] We have taken back control of the Senate. [03:47] Wow, that's good. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7174651/what-trump-winning-means-for-education/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7174651/what-trump-winning-means-for-education/"},"headline":"What Trump's Win Means for Education","datePublished":"2024-11-08T23:43:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-19T07:48:20.107Z","description":"Trump has pledged to dismantle the Department of Education, among other things.","url":"https://time.com/7174651/what-trump-winning-means-for-education/","keywords":["Donald Trump","News Desk","feat-audio"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta81322a7af0c3c3d/698a9c1ccabb1d8d4ae5b44a/GettyImages-2183214745.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Solcyré Burga","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/solcyre-burga/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta81322a7af0c3c3d/698a9c1ccabb1d8d4ae5b44a/GettyImages-2183214745.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump Holds Election Night Event In West Palm Beach","caption":"Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump Holds Election Night Event In West Palm Beach","creditText":"Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7174651/what-trump-winning-means-for-education/","name":"What Trump's Win Means for Education"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Trump Declares Election Victory in Speech to Supporters","description":"Republican former President Donald Trump claimed victory in his race against Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris for the White House.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/yb0xE9vU/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2024-11-06T08:20:03.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yb0xE9vU.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/7174651/what-trump-winning-means-for-education/","duration":"PT3M51S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/7174651/what-trump-winning-means-for-education/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```