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This is an adapted excerpt from the April 10 episode of “All In with Chris Hayes.”
It is almost impossible to keep up with all the destruction being caused by Donald Trump. Some of it we knew was going to happen — he campaigned on it. But then there are things that never came up in the campaign that are now happening. Some are cruel and almost all are pointless things that make you wonder: Who voted for this?
Like, who voted against National History Day? More than half a million students work to qualify for the national history competition each year. It is awesome and adorable. Students select a topic within the constraints of the theme and the time period. They can make an exhibit, do a performance, write a paper or make a website or documentary.
If a candidate in November’s election had run on the promise to destroy a history contest for children, would that have affected anyone’s decision?
It’s the most amazing, all-American thing I can imagine. If you look at local news over the past few weeks, you will see articles about students in places like Iowa, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri proudly qualifying for their regional competition. Once they clear that, they go on to the national competition, which was set to start in just nine weeks.
But last week, Trump and Elon Musk killed its funding. Why? Does slashing funds for a children’s history competition really help with “government efficiency”?
After the Trump administration gutted the budget, Cathy Gorn, the executive director of National History Day, posted on social media to ask folks to donate so the kids can make it to the national competition in June.
“This means the loss of more than $336,000 over this year and next,” Gorn said in a video posted to Instagram. “[P]art of that funding was to support the national contest, so now we need your help. We need to raise in the next few months about $132,000 to make history day happen in June.”
$132,000 is all that is standing between these kids and the national awards. If Trump skipped some of his golf weekends down in Florida, the savings could fund National History Day for decades.
All of this makes me wonder: If a candidate in November’s election had run on the promise to destroy a history contest for children, would that have affected anyone’s decision?
Seriously, who voted for this?