Image source, Reuters

The president adds a personal note, praising teachers.

“I don’t care if they’re in the union or not in the union, but we’re going to take care of our teachers,” he says.

About 70% of public school teachers are in a union, according to government statistics.

“We’re going to take care of our teachers,” he says. “We’re going to love and cherish our teachers along with our children.”

In his statement, he also wishes Education Secretary Linda McMahon "good luck" and says he hopes she won't be at the department for long.

"But we're going to find something else for you," he says.

Trump explains his next steps on 'eliminating' the education department. He says his administration is going to take lawful steps to take down the department.

"We're going to shut it down as quickly as possible," Trump says. "It's doing us no good."

He says other countries rank high in education, specifically China, and the US could too.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Trump is still speaking at the White House. He says that when President Jimmy Carter created the federal education department, it was opposed by members of his own cabinet and others.

"History has proven them right, absolutely right," Trump says.

"After 45 years the US spends more money on education by far than any other country ... But yet we rank near the bottom of the list in terms of success," he says. "That's where we are, like it or not."

Everybody knows this is the right thing to do, Trump continues, adding that he hopes Democrats will be voting to support his order.

"We have to get our kids educated", he says, before claiming the US is not educating pupils well and has not been for a long time.

• You can follow Trump's statement in the White House by clicking Watch Live at the top of this page

Image source, Reuters

Trump introduces his Education Secretary Linda McMahon during his remarks.

"Hopefully she will be our last secretary of education," Trump says to applause.

Image source, Getty Images

Trump says he will sign an executive order to "begin eliminating the federal Department of Education once and for all".

This is met by big applause from the audience. The president calls it a "very historic action that is 45 years in the making".

Trump has just appeared before the press at the White House, where he is expected to sign an executive order to close the Department of Education.

Stick with us as we bring you live updates.

On the other side of the political aisle, Republicans have welcomed Trump's bid to dismantle the Department of Education.

Ahead of the expected signing later, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tells Fox News the DoE has "never educated a child" but forced taxpayers to cover the cost of "more regulation that has hurt our children's education".

Meanwhile, Missouri's Rep Mark Alford says "education belongs to parents and local communities–not Washington bureaucrats," in a statement on X.

"Today is a great day to dismantle the Department of Education," writes Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt.

• Earlier, we brought you the latest reaction from Democrat lawmakers who condemned Trump's expected order as "reckless"

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Donald Trump's expected executive order to close the Department of Education is "unconstitutional" and marks a "dark day" for American children, civil rights organisation NAACP says.

In a statement, the organisation accuses the president of dismantling democracy "one piece at a time" and says "the rule of law doesn't seem to matter" to Trump. Only Congress, the group says, has the power to get rid of the department.

"This is a dark day for the millions of American children who depend on federal funding for a quality education, including those in poor and rural communities with parents who voted for Trump", the group adds.

Image source, Getty Images

Education is a crucial target of a right-wing policy “wish list” known as Project 2025.

The 900-page document calls for greater school choice - essentially subsidising religious and private schools with public funds - which was also the subject of an early Trump executive order.

On the campaign trail, Trump said that closing down the DoE would give states back control and empower parents to “send their child to public, private, charter, or faith-based school of their choice”.

Trump and his allies have also accused the department of indoctrinating young people with racial, sexual, and political material.

While Trump distanced himself from Project 2025, he has nominated several of its authors to fill key government positions, and many of his initial executive orders closely follow proposals outlined in the document.

Image source, Reuters

Donald Trump's expected order to dismantle the Department of Education has provoked strong reaction from Democrat lawmakers. Let's take a look at some of the responses:

• Representative Bobby Scott, the leading Democrat in the House Education and Workforce Committee, describes the move as "reckless" while questioning Education Secretary Linda McMahon for supporting Trump's "dangerous and illegal demands".
• Speaking to Marie Claire, Senator Elizabeth Warren challenged the Trump administration's accusation that the department is not delivering, saying that "a large part of that is based on the fact we don’t give it the resources to be able to do that".
• Writing on X, Minnesota Senator Tina Smith addresses Trump as she warns: "You can't shut down the Department of Education -- and you know it."

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Washington

Image source, Reuters

Earlier today we heard from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who linked today's coming executive order to "failing test scores" over decades.

"We have spent more than $3 trillion at this federal bureaucracy," she said. "What has been the return on that investment for the American taxpayer? Levels that has been less than ideal. Less than proficient."

Leavitt described the order as a "much needed" step to "return education to where it belongs, and that's to educators closest to students in their classrooms in their respective states".

The department, she clarified, would not shut entirely, but would instead be a step to "greatly minimise" the agency. It will still exist and deal with student loans and Pell grants.

"But we don't need to be spending more than $3 trillion over the course of a few decades on a department that's clearly failing in its initial intention to educate our students," she added.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

As we await the expected executive action by US President Donald Trump, let's take a look at what exactly the Department of Education does.

Established in 1979, the department oversees funding for public schools, administers student loans and runs programmes that help low-income students.

A common misconception is that the department operates US schools and sets curricula - but that is done by states and local districts.

And a relatively small percentage of funding for primary and secondary schools - about 13% - comes from federal funds. The majority is made up from states and local groups.

The agency also plays a prominent role in administering and overseeing the federal student loans used by millions of Americans to pay for higher education.

Caitlin Wilson
US live editor

Image source, Reuters

US President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order this afternoon that would close the federal Department of Education - a long-time goal of many Republicans that they say will improve student outcomes and save government money.

But critics warn that closing the cabinet-level agency could have wide-reaching consequences, including for low-income students, students with disabilities and colleges and universities around the country.

Unlike in many other countries, schools in the US are mostly run by state and local authorities, both for funding and curriculum. Federal education officials are instead tasked with overseeing some of these local functions and tracking education outcomes across the country.

It's not totally clear yet what exactly this move could mean for American students, parents and teachers, but we'll be exploring this topic from every angle as we wait to hear more from Trump.

We'll bring you all the latest updates and analysis to go with it, so stick with us.