Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy doubled down on calls to abolish the Department of Education and promised to overhaul the U.S. education system if elected.
In an interview with Fox News, Ramaswamy pointed to education as one of the primary issues in the United States and specifically pointed to the influence of the Department of Education. He said he believes education has a central role to play in his goal of reviving national pride.
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“I think there are some basic steps we can take … to revive national pride, especially in that next generation of Americans,” Ramaswamy said.
“As the first millennial ever to run for the GOP nomination, I think that’s my responsibility,” he added. “One of the things that I think we should require is that every high school senior who graduates from high school should be required to pass the same civics test required of every immigrant who becomes a naturalized citizen in this country.”
He then responded to host Rachel Campos-Duffy, who pointed out that abolishing the Department of Education could jeopardize his plan.
“You’re right that the problem is pervasive, and there is no silver bullet,” Ramaswamy said.
“I think there’s a role for everyone to play,” he continued. I’t’s just that I’m running for U.S. president; I’ll tell you what the U.S. president can do that’s most effective: shut down the Department of Education that uses that money as a cudgel to get local school districts to adopt toxic and racial agendas.”
“Instead, give that money back to those schools to fund underfunded school choice programs in those states,” he added.
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The entrepreneur also bemoaned the lack of civics education in the U.S., saying a lack of civics knowledge correlates with authoritarianism.
“Young people no longer learn the rights that they even have in this country,” he said. “Most young people couldn’t really enumerate what they have in the Bill of Rights now. Then when you take those rights away, they don’t know what they’ve lost. So this is actually part of the path not just to a country that’s no longer proud; it’s the path to an authoritarian state. Because what does an authoritarian state require? It requires the population that didn’t know the rights that they actually enjoy. That’s what history teaches us.”
