Barely had President Donald Trump announced his pick for second in command at the Department of Education when the blowback began. Penny Schwinn, an alum of Teach for America who kicked off her career in education reform interning for Dianne Feinstein, was a porn-loving authoritarian and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ideologue, warned a growing chorus on the Right.
“President Trump needs the full story on Penny Schwinn’s education history” in Tennessee, conservative activist Robby Starbuck posted on X, citing Schwinn’s controversial tenure as the state’s schools chief. “Anytime someone claims their desired outcome is equity, understand they’re pushing a communist agenda,” anti-trans-athlete crusader Riley Gaines chimed in: “NO to Penny Schwinn.” Even country star John Rich, best known for being half of the duo behind “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy),” weighed in, describing a meeting he’d had with Schwinn about porn in Tennessee schools. “She refused to abolish it. She is not our friend.”
Before long, none other than Christopher Rufo would got involved, in an effort to douse the flames of the latest culture war fire. Rufo had met with Schwinn and was here to assure her critics that they had it all wrong. And while skepticism of education officials was warranted, chided Rufo, “we have to be accurate with the facts and considered in our judgements [sic].” President Trump had picked Penny for a reason. Now it was time for the bomb-throwers and naysayers to fall in line.
In the early days of the second Trump…
Auteur: Jennifer C. Berkshire
