President Trump’s 1776 Commission to promote “patriotic education” was told that religion and the Judeo-Christian tradition must be at the heart of any effort to understand the country’s history as it met for the first time on Tuesday.
Members were sworn in to spearhead Trump’s battle against the “radical socialists” he believes have taken over schools.
It is uncertain how much of their two-year terms the commissioners will serve with Joe Biden due to take office in 15 days. Yet it marks a small, if brief, victory for a president who has placed culture wars at the heart of his appeal but has seen his power wane since losing November’s election.
Commission members gathered at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, beside the White House, or joined by telephone for the first meeting.
After swearing an oath to support and defend the Constitution, members discussed priorities they wanted included in the commission’s report on how best to understand and promote the founding principles of the United States and to prepare for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Dr. Carol Swain, former professor of political science and law at Vanderbilt University, said topics must include how religion was central to America’s founding.
“There’s no way you can look at the constitutions of the 13 colonies … up until parts of the 20th century and say that our nation was not deeply influenced by religion, the Judeo-Christian religion in particular, and that is a part of who we are, part of history, we shouldn’t try to erase,” she said.
The commission was established by executive order in November as part of Trump’s defense against “critical race theory” and the New York Times’s 1619 Project, which recasts U.S. history with a focus on slavery and the contribution of black Americans.
Members include historians and education experts as well as Trump loyalists, such as Charlie Kirk, who founded the conservative youth group Turning Point USA, and John Gibbs, whose elevation to head a federal agency stalled last year in part because of a string of inflammatory tweets.
The appointments are for two years, but it is unclear whether the commission will meet again.
A spokesman for the Biden transition team declined to discuss its future.
When plans for the commission were unveiled, Biden’s team said Trump had failed to “meet the moment” and failed to tackle a string of crises engulfing America, including demands for racial justice.
“He stokes hatred and division rather than bringing this nation together to confront racism,” said transition spokesman Andrew Bates.
The idea for the commission formed during a long, hot summer of protests sparked by police brutality. The demonstrations soon targeted divisive statues that critics said glorified the country’s oppressive stance toward minorities or the Native American population.
Some members of the commission said its work must be nonpartisan.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson called for people to unite behind a shared identity based on history.
“We gather here with a mission as noble and important as it is right,” he said. “As President Trump said, our goal is to guarantee that our heroes will not be forgotten, our history will never be erased, and our children and grandchildren will be taught to love our great nation.”
The commission meeting comes as Trump has dialed down his public appearances to almost nothing and continues to stew over the results of November’s election. Last week, the Republican-controlled Senate overrode his veto of a defense policy bill, and even some staunch loyalists, such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Lindsey Graham, have declined to back his effort to overturn Electoral College votes.
