Donald Trump has a thing about universities — having his own. After his failed venture into education with Trump University, he now wants to start an online place of learning, and make the government pay for it.
No Free Speech
Certain forms of political correctness and support for terror groups will not be allowed at the proposed digital university, says the former president campaigning for a return to the White House. He said in a video announcing the new learning venture on his Truth Social network that “wokeism” and “jihadism” will be outlawed.
University Protests
Trump’s announcement that he’s establishing an online university comes at a time of protests over the newly erupted Israel-Hamas war on campuses of universities around the United States.
Anti-Israel Act
Students at George Washington University, in Washington, DC, caused outrage when they projected anti-Israeli messages onto the side of a building in a protest supporting Palestinians. Words including “Glory to Our Martyrs,” “Divestment From Zionist Genocide Now,” and “Free Palestine from the River to the Sea” appeared on a campus library building for several hours. A counter pro-Israeli demonstration took place nearby.
Middle East Conflict
Palestinian terror organization Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7 that saw thousands of missiles fired at central and southern parts of the country early in the morning, killing at least 1,400 people. It was the deadliest attack in Israel’s history and the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded with strikes into Gaza, which Hamas controls, leading to the development of a fresh war with the group that has killed around 9,000 people.
Support for ‘Savages and Jihadists’
In his social media post announcing his new online university, Trump alluded to protests at other campuses in the United States. “In recent weeks, Americans have been horrified to see students and faculty at Harvard and other once-respected universities expressing support for the savages and jihadists who attacked Israel,” he said.
Turning Students into ‘Communists and Terrorists’
Trump continued in his video posted online: “We spend more money on higher education than any other country, and yet they’re turning our students into communists and terrorists and sympathizers of many, many different dimensions. We can’t let this happen. It’s time to offer something dramatically different.”
Tax on University Endowments
The former president said he would fund his new university with a tax on university endowments — money they receive from private and corporate donors. “Under the plan I’m announcing today, we will take the billions and billions of dollars that we will collect by taxing, fining and suing excessively large private university endowments.”
American Academy
Trump said he would use the funds raised from university taxes to “endow a new institution called the American Academy. Its mission will be to make a truly world-class education available to every American — free of charge and do it without adding a single dime to the federal debt.”
‘High-Quality Courses
He said the courses would be extensive and of the best quality available. “This institution will gather an entire universe of the highest-quality educational content covering the full spectrum of human knowledge and skills, and make that material available to every American citizen online for free,” said Trump.
A Troubled University
The 2024 presidential hopeful launched Trump University in 2004, but it didn’t offer degree courses, instead only providing real estate and business training. Following complaints relating to allegations of fraud, and subsequent lawsuits, the university closed in 2011.
Trump’s Own ‘Free Speech’ Demand
Trump may be imposing a ban on people’s beliefs at his new university, but he has complained that he is not entitled to free speech as guaranteed under the First Amendment to the US Constitution — after judges in several cases he’s defending imposed gag orders. That came after Trump attacked people involved in the cases on social media.
White House Bid and Legal Problems
Trump, 77, is campaigning for another term at the White House, after losing his chance at re-election in the 2020 vote, which Democrat Joe Biden won. Trump is the leading candidate to be nominated the Republican Party’s choice in primaries taking place in January, with a wide polling lead over his rivals. But he has been indicted four times and is fighting 91 criminal charges, related to the 2020 election, sensitive government files and fraud at his Trump Organization property empire. He has pleaded not guilty and says the charges are attacks by Democrats who want to stop him from becoming president again.
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