Trump falsely claims Education Department not closing rural schools after funding cuts reversed

President Trump tweeted that the Department of Education was "NOT closing hundreds of schools in rural areas," calling reports to the contrary "Fake News." The tweet came after his Education Department had quietly changed eligibility criteria for the Rural and Low-Income School Programme on February 28, threatening funding to hundreds of rural schools in poor areas across multiple states. Following immediate backlash from educators and rural communities, the department reversed the controversial decision on March 2. Trump's March 5 tweet mischaracterized the situation—schools weren't being physically closed, but were set to lose vital federal funding due to his administration's policy change. The tweet exemplifies Trump's pattern of dismissing accurate critical reporting as "fake news" while claiming credit after his own administration's harmful policy was reversed.

"The Department of Education is NOT closing hundreds of schools in rural areas of our Country. This is just more Fake News. We are investing greatly in our schools, and always will!" — Tweet posted after his own Education Department reversed a funding eligibility change that would have cut federal aid to rural schools