Donald Trump has been dismantling the Department of Education by using stealth authoritarianism. Threats to democracy are at play when Trump re establishes new laws that are based on his doctrine, for example adding a page on the White House’s website that states “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 schooling”, which states his goals with education. Trump has leveraged his mass following to stray away from democratic institutions, employing stealth authoritarianism, a mechanism often seen in governments to have anti democratic changes that cloaks repressive changes with the use of law. Trump’s rhetoric is aggressive and continues to erode democratic values and freedoms as it attacks education in the U.S.
Throughout his campaigns, Trump has used his influence and mass following to undermine democratic institutions, employing stealth authoritarianism, a method used by leaders who push repressive changes under the guise of legal reform. His rhetoric is aggressive, and his policies continue to erode civil liberties and public resources, including cutting funding for medical research, discriminating against LGBT+ students, and restructuring the education department. One of Trump’s biggest targets has been education. His administration has framed schools and universities as places that corrupt American values and has sought federal control over curriculum and funding. He has threatened to defund schools that teach subjects he disagrees with, such as critical race theory and gender identity. This pressure forces schools and universities to self-censor, effectively turning education into a political tool. Trump has also pledged to remove transgender students from Title IX protections, which govern school policies on pronouns, bathrooms, and locker rooms. Title IX, originally passed in 1972, was expanded under the Biden administration in 2023 to include gender identity and sexual orientation. However, a federal judge later overturned those protections, aligning with Trump’s broader effort to roll back civil rights for marginalized communities.
Trump’s stealth authoritarianism is also visible in his connection to Project 2025, a conservative plan aimed at defunding the Department of Education and restructuring the federal government to give the president more control.
The Department of Education oversees $1.5 trillion in student loan debt for over 40 million borrowers and provides Pell Grants to low-income students. Universities rely on these funds to provide financial aid, making federal education funding critical for millions of students. If Trump moves forward with defunding the department, it would hit marginalized communities the hardest, limiting access to education for low-income students, people of color, and other vulnerable communities.
Trump has been working with figures like Elon Musk to push for federal budget cuts under the claim of eliminating “wasteful spending.” While DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) is not an official government agency, it has growing influence over spending decisions, raising concerns about transparency and accountability. Though Musk’s exact role remains unclear, the White House’s budget strategy aligns with Project 2025’s goal of drastically shrinking federal institutions.
Trump’s education policies and government restructuring efforts resemble strategies used by authoritarian leaders in the past. A clear example is Francisco Franco’s dictatorship in Spain, where the education system was weaponized to promote nationalist and religious ideals while silencing opposition. Trump’s attempts to reshape American education follow the same pattern, using schools as a political tool to control narratives and suppress opposing viewpoints. Trump’s efforts to control education K-12 and at the University level by, ending funding, and restructure government institutions fit the pattern of stealth authoritarianism. By using legal loopholes and executive power, he is reshaping democracy without openly dismantling it. If these changes succeed, they will limit access to education, undermine civil rights, and give the government greater control over what is taught in schools, all of which mirror tactics used by authoritarian regimes throughout history.
Articles
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c977njnvq2do
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-promised-to-end-wokeness-in-education-he-has-promised-to-use-federal-funds-as-leverage
https://news.wttw.com/2025/02/13/trump-s-education-secretary-may-be-asked-dismantle-education-department-here-s-what-it
The analysis of Trump’s approach to education as being a type of stealth authoritarianism is interesting, and the attention to detail done in the post is very thorough. I found the explanations of how the Trump administration uses legal mechanisms to promote changes that will ultimately be repressive to constituents to be compelling, especially when placed in comparison to Francisco Franco’s dictatorship in Spain. Said comparison added a strong historical dimension and proved that education can be manipulated to serve political ideologies and silence opposition, creating real world consequences; making it clear to see how said intentions could be shared by the Trump administration. Could Trump’s efforts to defund vital educational programs unintintentionally spark momentum for state-level initiatives aimed at protecting inclusive curriculum, strengthening localized resistance instead of suppressing it the way Trump is intending to?