Former President Donald Trump has put forth a proposal to establish a novel online university, funded by taxes on private university endowments where ‘wokeness or jihadism’ won’t be allowed. This revolutionary higher education plan was announced in a recent campaign policy video.
What Happened: Trump’s ambitious project, titled “American Academy,” aims to transform the higher education sector, as reported by POLITICO. This unique university would offer free degrees and would recognize previous academic work. Its credentials could potentially assist students in securing employment within the U.S. government and among federal contractors.
The financing plan for this venture revolves around taxing the endowments of large private universities. Trump’s 2017 tax legislation already imposes a 1.4% tax on the wealthiest private universities’ investment income. The American Academy would be further funded by imposing fines and lawsuits on these affluent institutions.
The proposed policy comes amid increasing political scrutiny on U.S. universities, particularly their responses to international incidents such as the recent Hamas attack on Israel. Trump’s critique of the current higher education system is that it is “turning our students into communists and terrorists and sympathizers of many, many different dimensions.”
Why It Matters: The American Academy, if established, would fundamentally reshape the U.S. higher education system. However, getting Congress on board with the plan is a significant hurdle. The proposal is particularly relevant to the over 40 million Americans who have started but not completed their college education.
The initiative comes at a time when Trump’s credibility is under scrutiny, particularly due to his business ventures’ history, as outlined by Benzinga.
Trump’s business history — including the erstwhile Trump University — marked by a mix of unusual ventures and significant failures, has been a topic of interest, as documented by Benzinga.
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