Trump on when he wants Education Department closed down: 'Immediately'

As far as eliminating government waste is concerned, President Donald Trump isn't messing around.

He made that clear once again when a reporter asked him about his thoughts on the Department of Education, which he quickly described as a "big con job" that he believes should be shut down sooner than later, Breitbart reported.

The president has long advocated for the Education Department to be shuttered, and with his new DOGE initiative, the possibility of that happening this time around is very likely.

Trump, when asked why, cited test scores that show the United States behind dozens of other countries, which he -- and most others -- believe is unacceptable.

What did he say?

A reporter recently asked Trump when he would like to see the DoE close down permanently.

“Oh, I’d like it to be closed immediately,” Trump answered.

That's when he got into the depressing rankings of countries worldwide and where the USA currently stands.

“Look, the Department of Education is a big con job. We’re ranked — so they ranked the top forty countries in the world. We’re ranked number 40th, but we’re ranked number one in one department, costs per pupil. So, we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked number 40. We’ve been between 38 and 40, the last time I looked it was 38 and then I looked two days ago … it came out at number 40," he continued.

Reporter: “How soon do you want the Department of Education to be closed?”

Pres. Trump: “Oh, I’d like it to be closed immediately. Look, the Department of Education is a big con job.”https://t.co/3SsmW9xzgY pic.twitter.com/Bm5BE2EV2Q

— ABC News (@ABC) February 12, 2025

"Norway, Denmark, Sweden, I hate to say it — China, as big as it is, it’s ranked in the top five," Trump added. "That’s a primary competitor. We’re ranked number 40 — so, if we’re ranked number 40, that means something’s really wrong, right?"

Social media agrees

Many on social media agreed with the problem regarding how much we spend at the DoE compared to where U.S. students are ranked.

"From a pure numbers perspective, the Dept of Education isn't pulling its weight. Send the funds to the states to manage their own education systems," one X user wrote.

Another X user wrote, "He’s not wrong."

Only time will tell if Trump manages to end the Education Department completely, which certainly won't happen without a fight from the left.