Trump to speak at Moms for Liberty summit, spotlighting education and policy clashes

WASHINGTON (TND) — Former President Donald Trump will make an appearance Friday night at the annual gathering for national nonprofit Moms for Liberty, a group that has clashed with school districts across the country about what is being taught in classrooms.

The group, which has some 130,000 members, have pushed for parents to have more say in public education as part of a broader movement that has developed over the last several years as some parents have taken up concerns with LGBTQ+ issues, racial equity programs and prevention measures against the spread of COVID-19.

His appearance at the group’s annual summit gives him an opportunity to rally his base of supporters as the Nov. 5 election continues to draw closer but also presents risks with moderate swing voters who see their policy proposals as too extreme. Moms for Liberty also serves on the policy board for Project 2025, a conservative think tank project that the Harris campaign has sought to tie Trump and Republicans to while the former president has tried to distance himself from it.

“President Trump believes students should be taught reading, writing and math in the classroom — not gender, sex and race like the Biden Administration is pushing on our public school system,” Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign’s national press secretary, told The Associated Press.

Moms for Liberty said it also invited Vice President Kamala Harris and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy to appear at the summit but neither are scheduled to speak. Harris has opposed most of the group’s initiatives and has been targeted by some of them, particularly over the Biden administration’s handling of COVID.

Trump will head to Washington on Friday after a rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania as his campaign continues to blitz swing states that will likely decide who takes the Oval Office after Election Day. He was in Michigan and Wisconsin on Thursday and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, has been making multiple campaign stops as they try to build support.