Texas journalist spars with Glenn Youngkin on education, resulting in boos and jeers from the liberal audience.

At the 2024 Texas Tribune Festival, Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin encountered a hostile liberal crowd while engaging in a heated debate with a local journalist about his education agenda.

Evan Smith of the Texas Tribune interviewed Youngkin, the 2021 gubernatorial winner known for his focus on education, as the closing keynote speaker at the annual political conference.

"Let's consider the perspective of an educator... Do you trust educators to perform their duties?" Smith inquired. "For decades, we have relied on educators to make decisions that effectively educated us. Why wouldn't they be capable of educating our children as well?"

"Youngkin stated that the bill was passed unanimously by the Senate, as it provided transparency and an opt-out for a replacement of materials that were inconsistent with a family's personal values. However, Gov. McAuliffe vetoed the bill."

Youngkin stated that the heart of the question was who should make the decision, and he strongly believed that parents should have full transparency in what was being taught in school. Additionally, if there was something that conflicted with their family values, they should be able to request a replacement piece to the curriculum.

Smith informed Youngkin that he has gained a reputation as "the governor who bans books" due to an Axios report stating that "over 390 book titles were targeted for bans in Virginia libraries last year."

"Book banning" is a term used to describe the idea of a family making a decision about their child's reading material based on their family values, which is something that is widely accepted. However, this idea does not align with the progressive narrative, and therefore, it is not viewed favorably.

Did Smith ask the governor if Axios's statement referred to 400 books that parents can opt out of or if those books have been removed?

Youngkin argued that libraries and school boards have the authority to determine what books are suitable for children based on existing laws.

"It is widely accepted that parents, Republicans, independents, and Democrats should have a say in their child's life and be involved in their child's decisions. This is not a new concept. However, the progressive left attempted to shift the narrative by focusing on book banning. This is not the case. Instead, the issue is about empowering parents to have a greater role in their child's life."

Youngkin was met with audible groans from some in the crowd, prompting Smith to request politely with a pause.

Youngkin stated that this is about ensuring parents have complete transparency regarding their children's activities.

What do you say to the authors of books that have been removed from library shelves who claim Virginia is censoring them? Smith followed.

"Youngkin stated that Virginia is not censoring, but rather local school boards are legally and responsibly assessing whether books are appropriate in schools and age-appropriate."

"Do you worry that there has been too much correction in this context?" Smith inquired. "I recall Toni Morrison's 'Beloved' being mentioned in this discussion. While I don't know if your campaign specifically called out the book, it became part of the conversation. I remember reading 'Beloved' in school, in English class. Is this the kind of book we want to remove from a library shelf?"

"What grade did you read it in?" Youngkin countered.

"I mean, high school," Smith answered.

"Is it suitable for a first-grader or second-grader?" Youngkin replied, "I'm just inquiring."

That exchange sparked some boos from the liberal crowd.

Smith asked Youngkin if he agreed with Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's statement during the Democratic convention in Chicago last month that "Loving your country doesn't mean lying about its history."

"Youngkin stated that he consistently and clearly emphasized the importance of teaching all of history, both good and bad, and that he believed their curriculum was the best in America because of this approach. He also mentioned that they made sure to include a broad education on slavery, reconstruction, civil rights, and the Holocaust in their curriculum to ensure students understood these pivotal moments in history and did not repeat them."

Youngkin stated, "The progressive left excels at creating 'either or' moments, forcing individuals to choose between two options. However, I believe we can live in a 'both and' world where we teach all of our history, both good and bad, without penalizing or blaming people for past actions. By doing so, we can educate our students to make informed decisions in the future as we prepare to pass on our state and country to the next generation."

Despite initially applauding Youngkin's administration's effort to give teachers raises, the liberal attendees later reacted against him after he mentioned that Democratic state lawmakers hindered legislative efforts towards passing a school voucher program.