President Trump floated an idea to tax America’s “Universities and School Systems” because, he claims, they are not focused on education but instead they concentrate on “Radical Left Indoctrination.”  He did so on his favored public policy platform, Twitter.

… and/or Funding, which will be taken away if this Propaganda or Act Against Public Policy continues. Our children must be Educated, not Indoctrinated!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2020

The vast majority of US colleges and universities are non-profit organizations, with state university systems being state-chartered organizations.

It is unknown what Trump meant by “School Systems,” but if he is referring to public school systems, those are tax-funded free public education systems overseen by locally elected officials.

Additionally, many universities in the United States are key to the development of technology and innovation in medicine, science, and military systems.  The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, which is key to America’s space exploration and missile technology programs, is managed by the California Institute of Technology.  Johns Hopkins University operates the Applied Physics Lab, a key research facility for military technology.

University-affiliated hospitals also receive billions of taxpayer dollars for medical research and clinical trials, including in the current coronavirus pandemic.

Trump’s tweet implies that he wishes to tax taxpayer-funded institutions, which would be a unique process within the government.

Ceasing funding to educational institutions and “systems” unless they comply with a dictum from Trump would also lead to a crippling standstill until such government systems are put in place to ensure these schools are meeting Trump’s directive that they no “indoctrinate.”

There is no clear idea how Trump intends to implement such a policy without running afoul of First Amendment rights.