Donald Trump’s war on intelligence isn’t just a domestic affair—it now extends across the globe. This week, the President gutted a critical USAID scholarship program for Afghan women, effectively telling young women fleeing Taliban oppression: “You’re on your own.” For a man who dodged drafts and mocked POWs, maybe abandoning brave women risking their lives for education is just on brand.
The Assault on Afghan Women’s Education
In 2022, the Taliban banned women from universities. In response, the U.S. government helped fund an online scholarship program so Afghan women could continue their studies in exile. It was one of the few remaining beacons of hope—an act of solidarity with those fighting back against fundamentalist rule.
Now Trump’s Republican machine has pulled the plug. Over 200 women who had been studying through U.S.-supported programs were told the money was gone. No notice. No explanation. Just silence and a future ripped away. All so Trump could flex his America-First dogma and score points with voters who think compassion is a weakness.
Why This Betrayal Matters
This isn’t just about one program. It’s about the soul of American foreign policy. We told the world we’d stand with women fighting for freedom. We swore we wouldn't let the darkness win. And now? Trump just handed the Taliban a propaganda victory on a silver platter.
This is the same crowd that screams about “Western civilization” while gutting the very values that built it. Education. Equality. Basic human dignity. To cut this program isn’t just cowardly—it’s a declaration: they don’t want a smarter, freer world. They want a dumber, and controllable one.
The Bigger Picture: Operation Stupid in Full Swing
Trump’s attacks on USAID stretch far beyond Afghanistan. He’s slashed programs that kept girls in school, delivered textbooks, rebuilt flood-ravaged schools, and supported secret classrooms under regimes that fear knowledge. He’s not fighting waste—he’s fighting enlightenment.
And it’s not just abroad. At home, Trumpism has declared war on knowledge too—banning books, demonizing teachers, rewriting history curricula, and smearing higher education as elitist indoctrination. The same forces cheering the defunding of Afghan women’s education are working to ensure American students grow up afraid of facts and allergic to critical thinking.
Because to Trump and his allies, education is dangerous. A woman with a degree might start asking questions. A refugee with a diploma might want a vote. A teenager who reads about fascism might recognize it on TV. And a nation that knows its history might not fall for fascism twice.
What You Can Do
We don’t have to accept this. Call your representative. You can find their contact information here. Tell them that slashing aid to women fighting for education is disgraceful. Tell them that America should stand for something more than brute force and Fox News soundbites.
If you can, donate to organizations helping Afghan women and girls stay in school. They’re doing the work our government is now too ashamed—or too cowardly—to do.
Know a group worth supporting? Drop the link in the comments. Let’s make a list. Let’s fight back against Operation Stupid
