JD Vance Says Kids Can’t Add 5+5, But Can Recite 87 Genders
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance says American education is withering because of its focus on LGBTQ identity.
Ahead of the 2024 vice presidential debate, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance is ramping up the anti-transgender rhetoric to rile up the Republican base.
On Saturday, September 28, the Republican Senator from Ohio appeared on stage with Lance Wallnau, a right-wing, anti-LGBTQ evangelical pastor, at a town hall event with Christian nationalist leaders.
Vance used the occasion to test a line of attack that might be deployed during his debate with Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate.
He blamed “creeping socialism,” as well as LGBTQ-affirming environments and transgender inclusion in schools, for declines in educational standards.
“First of all,” Vance said, “the American education system used to be the envy of the world, rich or poor alike. We believe in this country that every person deserves a quality education.
“Well, now we’ve got American children who can’t add five plus five, but they can tell you that there are 87 different genders. And I think both of those things are related.”
Vance did not specify what those 87 genders were.
He continued, bashing educators for embracing socialist ideology, anti-Christian animus, and various “woke” concepts.
“Because we’re teaching kids radical ideas, we’re not teaching them the basics,” Vance told Wallnau. “We’re not teaching them reading, writing, arithmetic, the things that every child needs in order to live a good life. And that is to your point, this creeping socialism in our schools. We’ve got to get it out of there, and I think we cut off the money. Stop spending your tax dollars on radical organizations that are poisoning the minds of our kids.”
Although the Trump-Vance campaign has tried to distance itself from the Heritage Foundation’s controversial Project 2025 initiative, Vance’s frequent rants against public education appear to be setting the stage for one of Project 2025’s chief proposals — dismantle the federal Department of Education.
The Republican obsession with transgender issues, in particular, has been prioritized as a wedge issue for political campaigns. It would not be surprising if Vance attacked Walz — who signed a number of pro-LGBTQ pieces of legislation into law in Minnesota — on LGBTQ issues in the upcoming debate.
Wallnau, for his part, has frequently trafficked in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, calling opponents of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law the “trans Taliban.” While criticizing Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly for vetoing a bill barring minors from accessing gender-affirming care, Wallnau wrote on X that children “are being evangelized by teachers unions working with Democrat LGBT activists running genital chop shops targeting children.”
A self-described “prophet” who is also a 2020 election conspiracy theorist, Wallnau has attacked Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she represents “the spirit of Jezebel.” He claims that the political Left is “loaded with demons,” one of which is “talking through” Harris.
After Harris’s strong debate performance against former President Donald Trump last month, Wallnau said that Harris had used “witchcraft” to appear “presidential” to debate viewers while obfuscating a more sinister left-wing agenda.
He has also claimed that “there will be cheating” by left-wing individuals during the 2024 election due to mail-vote fraud, suggesting that drop boxes for mail-in ballots will be stuffed with fake votes to try and swing the election in Harris’s favor.
Get the latest LGBTQ news in your inbox. Subscribe to our free magazine.
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.