Even before the 2024 election, rumors swirled about what education-related actions U.S. President Donald Trump would take if elected to a second term — among them, that he would close the Department of Education and eliminate Head Start, a program that provides early childhood education and services to low-income families.
Soon after Trump's inauguration in January 2025, it became clear that education at all levels was indeed a major target of the administration, which threatened to withhold federal funding from universities that allowed what the administration described as "illegal protests."
Trump and his administration have also been the subjects of false or unsubstantiated rumors related to education, such as that Trump legalized corporal punishment in schools, and that the administration was specifically targeting universities that rejected Trump's youngest son, Barron, for funding cuts.
Below is a selection of education-related rumors we've investigated since the start of Trump's second term.
