DONKEY: Trump & Dept. Of Education Eliminate All Race-Based Programs In Schools

Summary

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Donkey of the Day: Trump & Dept. Of Education Eliminate All Race-Based Programs in Schools

Podcast: Donkey of the Day (The Breakfast Club, Power 105.1 FM)
Host: Charlamagne Tha God
Date: February 18, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this hard-hitting episode, Charlamagne Tha God awards the infamous "Donkey of the Day" to the Trump administration and the US Department of Education for their decision to eliminate all race-based programs in American schools. Charlamagne breaks down the new policy directive, shares his strong reactions, calls out the implications for marginalized students, and highlights the broader social impact of such moves.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Elimination of Race-Based Programs

• [02:36] Charlamagne breaks the news that the Trump administration, via the U.S. Department of Education, has ordered the elimination of all race-based initiatives and programs from schools.
  • “Donald Trump and the Department of Education have decided to eliminate all race-based programs in schools. Okay? And they got 14 days to get rid of it.”
• The policy directly threatens the funding of schools that continue to use race as a consideration in scholarships, hiring, and academic life.

2. Department of Education’s Justification

• A national news report explains the federal justification:
  • [03:34] "DOE's newest target: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. ... Identifying 70 DEI training grants amounting to $373 million."
  • Schools are warned by an acting Assistant Secretary that any discrimination based on race is illegal, and noncompliance risks the loss of federal funds.
• Criticism quickly arises:
  • “Are they going to take away funding from historically black colleges? … It indicates just the fanatical obsession that this administration has in terms of going against DEI.”

3. Charlamagne’s Response: America’s Values and Historical Amnesia

• [04:37] Charlamagne critiques the hypocrisy of American values:
  • “America’s core values allegedly have always been liberty, equality and justice. ... But they aren't, okay? Never have been. It's liberty, equality and justice for white men. And then there's the rest of us, all right?"
• Points out that affirmative action and similar programs exist as remedies for long-standing discrimination, asking, “Now, somebody needs to explain to me what’s changed… The solution is now to pretend that racism and other forms of discrimination just simply don’t exist.”

4. Problems with ‘Eliminating Wokeness’

• [05:33] Charlamagne attacks the conflation of wokeness with real equity:
  • “Wokeness in programs designed to level the playing field for marginalized students are not the same, okay? You can’t just strip away those programs. That’s like having a leaky roof and you decide to fix that leaky roof by removing the roof entirely.”

5. The Administration’s Rationale

• Cites Craig Trainor, acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, who says:
  • [06:27] [Quote] “At its core, the test is simple. If an educational institution treats a person of one race differently than it treats another person because of that person’s race, the educational institution violates the law.”
• Charlamagne retorts with biting sarcasm about historical preferential treatment:
  • “Well, goddamn, how many institutions have treated white people differently and given them preferential treatment over every other other?”

6. Historical Context & Real-World Consequences

• Charlamagne notes that government had to create affirmative action to counteract ingrained white privilege.
• Warns that removing these policies is just returning to the status quo of discrimination:
  • “It's like... let’s go back to doing what caused us to have to come up with the race-based programs to begin with.”
• Lists what’s at stake: admissions, hiring, compensation, scholarships, housing, discipline, and graduation ceremonies—everything is affected.

7. Skepticism About Future Enforcement

• [07:54] Raises pressing questions:
  • “Who is going to be policing this? ... What about America in 2025 should make any of us believe we can trust people to do the right thing in regards to prejudice and discrimination?”

8. Concluding with a Warning from History

• Quoting Winston Churchill, Charlamagne underlines the risk of repeating past injustices:
  • [08:37] [Quote] “Winston Churchill once said, those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. We have learned nothing. And so here we are.”

9. Signature “Hee Haw”

• [08:51] Charlamagne calls for comedian Kathy Griffin to give the Department of Education the “biggest Hee Haw,” his satirical award for ignorance and regression.

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Notable Quotes

• “Donald Trump and the Department of Education are sending a very clear message, and that message is, F you niggas. They aren't interested in addressing the real issues of inequality in our schools.” – Charlamagne ([07:32])
• “Education is supposed to be the great equalizer, but how can it be when the very programs aimed at uplifting the underserved are being dismantled?” – Charlamagne ([07:17])
• “Wokeness in programs designed to level the playing field for marginalized students are not the same, okay? You can’t just strip away those programs.” – Charlamagne ([05:36])
• “At its core, the test is simple. If an educational institution treats a person of one race differently than it treats another person because of that person’s race, the educational institution violates the law.” – Craig Trainor, Dept. of Education ([06:27])
• “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. We have learned nothing.” – Charlamagne, referencing Winston Churchill ([08:37])

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Memorable Moments

• The biting sarcasm and frustration in Charlamagne’s voice, especially when skewering the idea that ending programs for marginalized groups makes things “equal.”
• The final soundbite with Kathy Griffin’s “Hee Haw,” marking the Department of Education’s policy as out-of-touch and blatantly regressive.

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Key Timestamps

• [02:36] – Announcement of the policy and its scope
• [03:34] – News report on DEI grant crackdown and legal threats
• [04:37] – Charlamagne’s critique of American values and context for affirmative action
• [06:27] – Quote from Craig Trainor, Education Department
• [07:17] – Stakes: how the policy impacts education and equality
• [08:37] – Historical warning and Churchill quote
• [08:51] – Signature “Hee Haw” letting the administration have it

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Tone and Style

Charlamagne Tha God’s delivery is passionate, forthright, and laced with humor, sarcasm, and righteous indignation. He uses sharp analogies—like fixing a leaky roof by tearing it off—to capture the absurdity of the new policy, and grounds his critique in personal commentary, history, and unapologetic advocacy for marginalized communities.

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This episode serves as a fierce call to attention about the rollback of race-conscious efforts in American education—and challenges listeners to confront the consequences of such moves.

Transcript

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[D]

All right, Charlene, please tell me, why was I your donkey of the day?

[A]

The way things are going, they're gonna sign an executive order to make me change that intro soon. But donkey of the day for Tuesday, February 18th, goes to the US Department of Education. Well, I should I say Donald Trump's U.S. department of Education. Now, if you haven't been paying attention to what's going on in the world, because it hasn't popped up on Shade Room just yet, let me be the first to tell you that Donald Trump and the Department of Education have decided to eliminate all race based programs in schools. Okay? And they got 14 days to get rid of it. That's right. The Department of Education plans to cut funding for initiatives that address racial disparities in education. They will penalize schools that consider race in scholarships, hiring, and a bunch of other activities. Okay? They warn schools that they risk losing federal funding if they continue to take race into account when making scholarship or hiring decisions are so much as knotted to race in all other aspects of student academic and campus life. Oh, I can't make this kind of stuff up. Let's go to the national desk for the report, please.

[E]

Doge's newest target, Diversity, equity and inclusion at the Department of Education, identifying 70 DEI training grants amounting to $373 million. According to Doge, one such grant trained teachers to engage in self reflection to confront their own biases and racism. This comes as the Department of Education continues its crackdown on DEI programs and policies in schools. On Friday, the acting Assistant Secretary sent out a letter reminding institutions any discrimination based on race, color or national origin is illegal. Adding institutions failing to comply with federal civil rights law face potential loss of federal funding. Critics quick to respond. What does this mean? Are they going to take away funding from historically black colleges? Are they going to take away funding from public schools that have a Latino student union? To me, it indicates just the fanatical obsession that this administration has in terms of going against DEI.

[A]

This is America 2025. You know, America's core values allegedly have always been liberty, equality and justice. These values are supposed to be the foundation of American democracy, but they aren't, okay? Never have been. It's liberty, equality and justice for white men. And then there's the rest of us, all right? In fact, the only reason things like affirmative action exist is because government needed a remedy for the effects of long standing discrimination in this country. Now, somebody needs to explain to me what's changed, okay? In a country where systemic racism is literally rooted in every institution, the solution is now to pretend that racism and other forms of discrimination just simply don't exist. Let's go back to doing things the way they were being done before these race based programs existed. So let's go back to doing what caused us to have to come up with the race based programs to begin with. This is all part of a broader agenda to remove what they call wokeness from American education. And look, I don't care for wokeness either, okay? I believe most woke people just simply need some sleep. But the reality is, wokeness in programs designed to level the playing field for marginalized students are not the same, okay? You can't just strip away those programs. That's like having a leaky roof and you decide to fix that leaky roof by removing the roof entirely. That would make no sense. Now, this is also the latest step in the Trump administration's move to reshape programs intended to make things equal for historically underserved populations as a form of racial discrimination. Craig Trainor, who's the Education Department's acting Assistant Secretary for civil rights, said related programs and scholarships, many of which have historically helped black and Latino students attain college degrees or find community, had come at the expense of white and Asian students, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Now let me read to you a quote from Craig Trainor, because this is interesting. He said, and I quote, at its core, the test is simple. If an educational institution treats a person of one race differently than it treats another person because of that person's race, the educational institution violates the law. Well, God damn, how many institutions have treated white people differently and given them preferential treatment over every other other? Okay? Trainer says, put simply, educational institutions may need to separate or segregate students based on race, nor distribute benefits or burdens based on race. I could be wrong because I am not the highest grade of weed in the dispensary. But we got to these race based programs. We implemented things like affirmative action to make sure that policies and programs gave limited preferences to minorities and women, not just in institutions of higher education, but job hiring, awarding of government contracts, other social benefits. They had to implement these things because if they didn't, white privilege would rule everything around me. Education is supposed to be the great equalizer, but how can it be when the very programs aimed at uplifting the underserved are being dismantled? Donald Trump and the Department of Education are sending a very clear message, and that message is, F you niggas. They aren't interested in addressing the real issues of inequality in our schools. Instead, they would rather gaslight us, tell us we tripping sweep to inequality under the rug, and then tell us to act like we don't see the lump. So all these colleges that offer scholarships and grants specifically for students of certain ethnic backgrounds, all that's just gone? Schools are just barred from using race and decisions pertaining to admissions and hiring and promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all the other aspects of student academic and campus life. Who is going to be policing this? Okay, what about America in 2025 should make any of us believe we can trust people to do the right thing in regards to prejudice and discrimination? Because if you ask me, what the Department of Education is currently doing is indeed prejudice and discrimination. And you know the main reason we should teach the true history of America? So we don't repeat our mistakes. Winston Churchill once said, those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. We have learned nothing. And so here we are. Please let Kathy Griffin give the Department of Education the biggest Hee Haw.

[D]

Please give this giant jar of mayo.

[A]

The biggest Hee haw. It's cold world. Yes, it is. Cold world Crazy. All right, well, thank you for that. Donkey of the Day. Donkey of the Day is sponsored by renowned personal injury attorney Michael the Bull Lametsoft. Don't be a donkey when you need a fighter on your side. If you're ever injured, go to michaelthebull.com. that's michaelthebull.com and when you mess with the bull, you get the horns. Wake that ass up early in the morning. The Breakfast Club. Hi, my name is Enya Umanzor.

[B]

And I'm Drew Phillips.

[A]

And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom.

[B]

If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you, but if you have unmedicated adhd. Oh, my God, Perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness psychobabble.

[A]

Yes. Yes.

[B]

Then Emergency Intercom's the podcast for you. Open your free iHeartradio app, search emergency Intercom, and listen.

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[D]

Hi, I'm Jenica Lopez, and in the new season of the Over Comfort podcast, I'm even more honest, more vulnerable, and more real than ever. Am I ready to enter this new part of my life? Like, am I ready to be in a relationship? Am I ready to have kids and to really just devote myself and my time? Join me for conversations about healing and growth, all from one of my favorite spaces, the kitchen. Listen to the new season of the Overcomer podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[A]

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