Kirk Cameron, Christian parents float replacing Department of Education as Trump mulls Cabinet pick
Kirk Cameron and Christian parents told Fox News Digital this week what they want to see out of President-elect Donald Trump's Department of Education.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - As Kirk Cameron and several of his Christian friends helped premiere his new children's show last week, they also weighed in on who they think President-elect Donald Trump should pick to lead the Department of Education, deeming it an important choice for parents and children alike, or whether it should even exist.
Some of the famous figures walking the green carpet at the premiere of the Christian-themed "The Adventures of Iggy and Mr. Kirk" last Thursday agreed that the 2024 election was a referendum on the "wokeness" parents were seeing in the media, entertainment, and schools. They wanted to see more change come to the Department of Education when Trump takes the helm.
Without naming someone specific for the post, Cameron said he hopes the new administration will put parents back in the driver's seat.
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"That's a very exciting and very important position," Cameron told Fox News Digital at Thursday's premiere. "I'm not sure who the secretary will be, but I'm fascinated and interested in the idea of getting rid of the Department of Education altogether and what we might be able to imagine to replace it. Like maybe putting parents back in charge of their children's education and doing some of the things that we did at the beginning of this country that led to its prosperity and its blessing."
Actress Leigh-Allyn Baker, known for her roles on "Charmed" and "Will & Grace," knew exactly who she wanted in the top education role. She picked Dr. Carol Swain, a conservative legal scholar and retired professor of political science and law at Vanderbilt University.
"Dr. Carol Swain is who I would love to see," Baker told Fox Digital. "She's a brilliant woman and has influenced our educational system in only a positive way. I think Dr. Carol Swain - if you're hearing me, Trump - pick her. She's amazing."
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"It is an important role. I'm not informed enough to really speak on it," Brave Books founder Trent Talbot told Fox News Digital. "I know there are a lot of great candidates that have done some great work. I definitely want to see school choice being emphasized, and I think it will."
Trump has signaled his intentions of giving educational power back to the states when in office, a move which may require congressional approval.
"One thing I’ll be doing very early in the administration is closing up the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., and sending all education and education work it needs back to the states," he said on the campaign trail.
"Duck Dynasty" stars Jep and Jessica Robertson said that the outcome of the 2024 election showed that there are like-minded people like them who just want to parent their kids, not the government.
"I think people see that we want to parent our kids," Jep told Fox News Digital. "There's more good people out there than bad."
One mother in Virginia said she expects the new administration to tamp down the progressive policies many schools have adopted, with a renewed emphasis on learning the basics.
"As the mother of three young children, I could not be more relieved and optimistic that we will soon have an administration focused on ensuring the best education for children," Elizabeth McCauley, co-founder of the Virginia Mavens, told Fox News Digital. "Starting with focusing first on literacy versus woke indoctrination, then on meritocracy which is the bedrock of the success of our wonderful country, versus equity which destroys progress and success."
"Then on school safety for girls in the restrooms, locker rooms and on the playing fields, and finally, an administration that has championed school choice so that no child is at a disadvantage due to his/her zip code, so most importantly, each parent can make the best choice for his or her child as to where he/she should go to school," she continued. "Instead of distracting our children with woke nonsense pushed by the Teachers Unions as well as special interest groups, this administration will make our national education system competitive again on a global scale to provide our children with the best!"
Education advocate Corey DeAngelis pitched himself for the role in a pointed post on X.
"Trump said he'd put a libertarian in the cabinet," DeAngelis wrote. "He also said he'd abolish the Department of Education. He can check both of those boxes at the same time if he hires me. I'd shut it down and then fire myself."
Other names that have been floated are Trump's former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who said she is open to the prospect of returning to her former post. DeVos resigned from the Trump administration shortly after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
"I have been really clear about what I think needs to be the agenda, which is to get the federal tax credit passed and to de-power the Department of Education. If President-elect Trump wanted to talk to me, I would be very open to talking," DeVos told Education Week newspaper last week.
Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice has also been talked about as a potential pick for Trump's education secretary. She minced no words when discussing what she'd do with the department.
"Ultimately, I believe the Department of Education should be shut down," Justice said Monday on "Fox & Friends First." "Since it was created, we have only seen plummeting achievement scores, teachers unions having more influence on our kids' education and more global interference in our kids' education. It's no coincidence that kids in Kenya are learning the same type of comprehensive sex education curriculum that they are in New Jersey, so we absolutely need to stop the waste at the federal Department of Education and put parents back in the driver's seat."
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