Bernie Sanders Asked: ‘Do You Think The Trump Administration Is Trying To Whitewash American History?’

4/11/2025

During a CNN town hall on Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was asked about the Trump Administration’s actions towards DEI in education.

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Transcript

00:00Townsend, she's currently D.C.'s Teacher of the Year and is one of the four finalists to be National Teacher of the Year.

00:05Congratulations. She's a Democrat from Hyattsville, Maryland.

00:08Senator, there's been a recent movement to minimize or erase the identities, experiences, and histories of diverse individuals and communities.

00:19Given these efforts, what specific legislative measures, reforms, and actions can we as educators advocate for

00:26to promote the inclusion of diverse perspectives and histories within academic curriculum?

00:31Look, I happen to believe that if we are going to do what we have to do, we have to understand history.

00:41We have to understand how we got to where we are today. I believe that very strongly.

00:46And there are some aspects of American history that we should be enormously proud of.

00:50There are some aspects, like in every other country on Earth, we should not be proud of.

00:55But to try to push slavery or racism or homophobia or sexism under the rug and say they never happen is a disservice to the kids of this country.

01:07If we go forward, we've got to know our own history, our strengths, our weaknesses.

01:10So, again, I think you have the right.

01:13I want educators in this country to be able to educate our kids about all aspects of American society, not just the positive aspects.

01:22Some of the specific examples are quite remarkable.

01:26The National Park Service, the Pentagon, at times have scrubbed their websites of references to Harriet Tubman, Jackie Robinson, the Tuskegee Airmen.