Global Courant
FIRST ON FOX: Betsy DeVos — who served as head of the Education Department under former President Donald Trump — remains undecided who she will support in the 2024 White House race.
“She’s watching the race closely, but hasn’t made a decision on an endorsement yet,” Nate Bailey, DeVos’ chief of staff, told Fox News Digital. “She is very encouraged to see all candidates talking seriously about expanding educational freedom and empowering parents.”
DeVos, the 11th person to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Education from 2017 to 2021, was one of the few Trump-era cabinet members to retain her post throughout his tenure.
As education secretary, the Michigan resident defended school choice, arguing that parents should have the authority to take taxpayer dollars allocated for their child to different schools if their local public school doesn’t meet their needs.
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Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos testifies at a Senate hearing on March 28, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images)
DeVos touted the 1776 Trump Commission as an alternative to the historically inaccurate 1619 Project, which sees slavery as the bedrock of American history.
But the former education secretary, now 65, has shown warmth to a number of other Republican candidates for 2024.
On May 31, DeVos appeared with former Vice President Mike Pence in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for a talk about what conservatives believe.
Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump and Mike Pence pose for a photo at Trump International Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Nov. 19, 2016. (Drew Boozer)
The DeVos family financially supported the gubernatorial campaigns of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. According to state campaign financials, DeVos personally contributed $5,500 to a super PAC that supported DeSantis’ April 2022 reelection bid.
DeVos remains an influential voice on American education. Last year, she released her best-selling book “Hostages No More: The Fight for Education Freedom and the Future of the American Child,” which addresses critical racial theories in education, COVID-19 pandemic school lockdowns, and how to fix American schools. .
Before serving as secretary of education for the Trump administration, DeVos advocated for school choice, charter schools and freedom of speech on campuses.
Former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos arrives for the 45th Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 4, 2022. (Stefani Reynolds)
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She and her husband started All Children Matter in 2003 to support voucher programs. In 2010, she helped found the American Federation for Children advocacy organization for school choice.
DeVos and her husband founded the Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation in 1989, which made donations to charter and Christian schools, organizations that supported school choice, and various universities and arts foundations.
Elizabeth Troutman is a College Associate at Fox News Digital.
Follow Elisabeth on Twitter @Elizabeth Troutman
