Former President Donald Trump voiced strong support for parental rights at a conference organized by the conservative group Moms for Liberty, blasting school boards for their policies and declaring that, as president, he would have the authority to make significant changes.
In a conversation with Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, Trump addressed various educational policies, expressing his disapproval of the policies of some school boards, which he likened to “dictatorships.”
“The parents truly love the kids,” Trump said. “Some of these people on the boards, I think they don’t like the kids very much. … You have to give the rights back to the parents.”
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He affirmed his support for Moms for Liberty’s efforts to promote vouchers for private school tuition and other initiatives to enhance parental control over education.
Trump criticized the policies of Democratic vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, particularly those related to gender identity and school curricula. Walz, a former teacher and advocate for LGBT ideology, recently signed legislation providing free school lunches and access to so-called gender-affirming care in Minnesota.
Justice queried Trump on the federal actions he would pursue to strengthen parental rights, such as school choice — a system that allows parents to use public funding to enroll their children in any school of their choosing.
Trump responded, “[the] president has such power. I’m for parental rights all the way. I don’t even understand the concept of not being.”
House Republicans have passed a bill promoting school choice, but Democrats hold a majority in the Senate. Trump said he was looking forward to a debate next week with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, who he labeled a “Marxist,” on ABC News.
Trump also opposed the inclusion of gender identity discussions in school curricula.
Referring to the recently concluded Olympics, Trump said, “All of these things we’re talking about, no men in women’s sports, no gender operation, I mean … it’s these operations, it’s crazy.”
“Everyone’s afraid to talk about it,” he said. “Not me,” Justice responded. “Not Tiffany,” the former president said to resounding applause. “We’re going to fight to keep our girls safe, president … to make sure that our girls have privacy and safety in their bathrooms,” she said.
“It’s also very demeaning to women,” Trump continued. I don’t know how they get away with it.”
Over 1,000 school districts in the U.S. allow or advise staff to withhold information from parents about their child’s desire to identify as trans or nonbinary, according to the advocacy group Parents Defending Education. The policy has been met with backlash and led to legislative responses in several Republican-majority states aiming to protect children from irreversible gender-affirming surgeries.
For instance, in Alaska, the Anchorage School District’s policy titled “Working with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students and Employees” states that schools can conceal a student’s confusion about their sexual identity from their parents. The district argues that, for some students at the secondary education level, notifying the parents can present a risk to the student if their parents don’t support the transition (changing their name while at school, or secretly taking puberty blockers and opposite-sex hormones).
“Prior to notification of any parent or guardian regarding the transition process, school staff should work closely with the student to assess the degree to which, if any, the parent/guardian will be involved in the process, considering at all times the health, well-being, and safety of the transitioning student,” reads the policy.
Federal courts have recently upheld decisions that prevent parents from intervening in how schools handle gender identity issues among students.
Moms for Liberty has warned of an “anti-parent, extremist government” under Harris and Walz.
Moms for Liberty, a group that began in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic, has grown significantly, boasting over 130,000 members across 300 chapters in 48 states. The organization has been influential in promoting policies that align with conservative values.
