Donald Trump on Monday suggested transgender is the principal subject now taught in schools. He had a sympathetic ear in Fox Nation host Kellyanne Conway , his former adviser who introduced the world to the concept of alternative facts .

We want reading, writing and arithmetic, Trump said in a conversation about his plans for education reform if he wins the election next month. Right now, you have mostly transgender. Everythings transgender.

Some of these school programs, I looked at it the other night theyre destroying our country, the former president added.

Trump prefaced his outrageous assertion yet another salvo in the culture wars by alluding to his plan to close the Department of Education and turn over education completely to the states. And theyll do great, he said.

The Republican nominee noted that the U.S. spends more money per pupil than any other developed nation a claim that the data somewhat supports and yet is underperforming globally.

We want school choice, but we have to get out of this Washington thing, he said. Were gonna move it back to the states.

The president has leaned on transphobia to characterize public schools as a breeding ground for extreme ideology on gender and his online plan for education reflects that.

Cutting federal funding for any school or program pushing Critical Race Theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children is the top priority listed on that page.

The plan also lists Keep men out of womens sports as a priority, another sign of the campaigns embrace of transphobia.