Trump Leans Hard Into Culture War Issues During Speech, Calls For ‘Patriotic Education’ In Schools

With the election and debates approaching, President Trump has leaned hard into culture war issues. In a speech Thursday at the National Archives Museum, Trump called for “patriotic education” in public schools and railed against “cancel culture.”

“We are here today to declare that we will never submit to tyranny,” Trump said during the address. “We will reclaim our history, and our country, for citizens of every race, color, religion and creed.”

Trump also decried rioting that took place in major cities this year amid racial justice demonstrations.

“Left-wing mobs have torn down statues of our founders, desecrated our memorials and carried out a campaign of violence and anarchy,” Trump said. “Whether it is the mob on the street, or the cancel culture in the boardroom, the goal is the same: to silence dissent, to scare you out of speaking the truth and to bully Americans into abandoning their values.”

Trump said he was signing an executive action to set up a new commission dedicated to promoting “patriotic education” in public schools. He criticized the 1619 Project, which "aims to reframe the country's history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of the national narrative."

During a speech on July 4, Trump attacked those with a critical view of the founding fathers.

“The patriots who built our country were not villains, they were heroes whose courageous deeds improved the Earth beyond measure,” Trump said.

Pundits have suggested that Trump has used identity politics to strengthen his Republican base. According to Pew Research, 88% of White Democrats have expressed at least some support for the Black Lives Matter movement, compared with 16% of White Republicans.

Democratic nominee Joe Biden has taken a different approach on racial justice issues than Trump. During a CNN town hall on Thursday, Biden said he had benefited from white privilege and claimed Trump is inciting violence.