I’ve been going into a bit of a dark place these last few weeks, reading about Trump’s plans should he win a second term. Spoiler: They’re not great. For him? Oh yes. For his friends? Definitely. But for me? For you? Not so much.

Here’s one particularly relevant – to me – planned policy from the Trump administration: shutting down the department of education, and handing responsibility to the states. Why? Unclear, because Trump for reals does not actually care about policy, apart from how said policy might affect him – but it’s likely him parroting the blueprint put forth by the far-right group Project 2025, who are also going after things like reproductive rights and overtime pay.

But even if Trump doesn’t end up dismantling the Department of Education, he has stated repeatedly that he plans to slash federal funding for education in half. Because who doesn’t want their children to receive…less…education.

As a not-irrelevant aside, he’s also vowed to defund schools with vaccine mandates. And no, that’s not just COVID, that’s the usual suspects: measles, polio, et cetera. You know, those diseases that used to kill people – like, a lot of people – and now don’t? Because science?

Here’s what Trump had to say about his plan:

“We’ll be able to cut [spending on] education in half and get much better education in some of the states…We’ll have the best education anywhere in the world…Some won’t do as well.”

So, listen. This is not about bettering our childrens’ education. Obviously. Because I don’t see him explaining anywhere in his plan exactly how fewer resources will improve education.

I’d also be curious whom he’d foresee as “not doing as well.” Just throwing it out there, might be low-income districts, whom he cares about even less, and heavily Democratic districts, like those in blue states that refuse to disavow vaccine requirements.

Trump doesn’t know what he’s talking about. But why do Republicans want to cut education? Because a less-educated public is a more malleable public. Across the board, higher education tends to equate with more progressive beliefs. Younger people are increasingly progressive. They’re seeking out information from alternative sources, because they’ve accurately assessed that the adults in the room have no idea what they’re doing.

People thinking for themselves – questioning the status quo of white male privilege, and stating truth to power – is utterly catastrophic to Republican goals. So they want to take that possibility away. They want to make education in our country worse. Children will fare worse.

How Republicans are at rallies thunderously applauding these efforts isn’t beyond me – it’s how cult behavior functions – but it’s still disappointing.