PBS Funding Slashed, PragerU Steps In With False History
On July 24, President Trump signed the Rescissions Act of 2025, eliminating $1.1 billion in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The cuts leave PBS and NPR at historic financial risk, jeopardizing their ability to provide free educational programming nationwide.
PBS has long been a cornerstone of childhood education, with PBS Kids reaching more than 15 million users monthly. Its classroom platform, PBS LearningMedia, is a free resource for teachers—especially in rural and low-income schools. Without federal support, teachers may be forced to seek alternatives, and some states are offering a controversial replacement: PragerU.
What Is PragerU?
Founded in 2009 by Dennis Prager and Allen Estrin, PragerU is not a university but a conservative nonprofit advocacy group. Backed by millions in donations from right-wing billionaires, including early fracking moguls Dan and Farris Wilks, the organization pulled in nearly $67 million in contributions in 2024.
PragerU produces a steady stream of short videos featuring right-wing personalities like Candace Owens, Charlie Kirk, and Ben Shapiro. Its most controversial project, PragerU Kids, targets children as young as three with animated “history” adventures.
Dennis Prager himself has admitted the purpose: “It’s true that we bring doctrines to children. But what is the bad thing about our indoctrination?”
Whitewashing History in the Classroom
Critics argue PragerU’s kids’ content distorts history in dangerous ways. In the animated series Leo and Layla’s History Adventures, a cartoon Frederick Douglass reassures children that the Founding Fathers knew slavery was wrong but “compromised to achieve something great.” Booker T. Washington tells them America was “one of the first places on Earth to outlaw slavery.”
In another clip, a cartoon Christopher Columbus minimizes slavery entirely, saying:
“Being taken as a slave is better than being killed, no? Before you judge, you must ask yourself, ‘What did the culture and society of the time treat as no big deal?’”
John Knefel of Media Matters for America calls the programming “propaganda disguised as education,” warning it’s designed to normalize inequality and “defend existing hierarchies from progressive activism.”
Trump’s Role in the Shift
PragerU’s rise is no accident. Its leaders have openly declared their ambition to go “toe-to-toe with PBS Kids and Disney.” Now, with Trump’s CPB cuts, that opportunity has arrived.
The White House recently partnered with PragerU to unveil an exhibit in its Founders Museum, featuring AI-generated “commentary” from the Founding Fathers that echoes conservative talking points.
Trump has also ordered a review of Smithsonian museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, demanding exhibits reflect “American exceptionalism” and remove “divisive narratives.”
Already, references to Trump’s impeachments have been temporarily stripped from the National Museum of American History, and the National Portrait Gallery director resigned after Trump claimed he fired her.
What’s at Stake for American Classrooms
While PBS built decades of trust through evidence-based educational programming, PragerU offers ideology wrapped in cartoon form. Ten states, including Florida, Alaska, and Louisiana, have already approved some form of partnership with PragerU for classroom use.
But support among educators is thin. Many teachers and researchers say the shift represents a coordinated effort to rewrite U.S. history for the next generation.
