Resisting “Radical Indoctrination”: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Executive Education Policy

• In Event: Egalitarian Commitments: Aspirational Work in the Face of Authoritarian Power

Abstract

Since early 2025, President Trump has called for radical changes in what is allowed in public education and issued executive orders to enact his agenda (Goldstein, 2025). In this paper, we analyze the ideological discourses embedded in these executive education orders and consider the benefits of democratic discourse as a response to the implications embedded in the executive orders. We ask: What claims about education are reinforced through President Trump’s education executive orders? How should the ideals of democratic education be part of the response to the claims and discourses in the executive orders?

Authors

• Kelly Bradford, UNCG

• Kathryn Pegram, UNCG