Anti-intellectualism is defined by Dictionary.com as the “opposition to or hostility toward intellectuals and the modern academic, artistic, social, religious, and other theories associated with them.”
There are various ways anti-intellectualism can unfold, however I want to focus on the rise in our current political sphere, encouraged by American Conservatism and President Donald Trump.
In the last decade, we have seen a major increase in science-denial, anti-education sentiments, and disinformation. More Americans abandon the truth to ease their cognitive dissonance and fuel their own personal biases.
Smart people don’t like me
– Donald J. Trump
Science-Denial
Despite the fact that approximately 97-99.9% of climate scientists agree that human activity is causing global temperatures to rise, only about 60% of Americans actually believe in human-made climate change.
Much of this denial is perpetuated by Republican politicians, like President Trump, who said in an interview, “It’ll start getting cooler, just you watch.” The interviewer replied, “I wish science agreed with you,” to which Trump said, “I don’t think science knows, actually.”
It is in the best interest of elites to deny climate change, as restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions and other eco-friendly solutions would mean a loss of revenues for major corporations who rely on factory production. While those in power protect their wallets, the rest of us will have to suffer the consequences in the decades to come.
We have also seen an uptick in science-denial when it comes to medicine. The recent trend seemingly started with the COVID-19 pandemic, which was quickly labeled by Republicans as a “hoax,” despite thousands of documented deaths. This led to a rejection of COVID vaccines, and eventually the rise of the anti-vax movement as a whole.
Here in South Carolina, we have seen a massive Measles outbreak– a disease that is technically classified as eradicated in the U.S., but is now at significant risk of losing that status. As of Feb. 20, 2026, there have been 973 confirmed cases of Measles in the South Carolina Upstate alone. This is completely preventable, however as more people reject science and vaccinations, disease counts and death tolls will continue to rise across the country.
I don’t think science knows, actually.
– Donald J. Trump
Anti-Education
One of the most integral aspects of anti-intellectualism is the pushback against education.
In March 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14242, calling for the complete dismantlement of the U.S. Department of Education, claiming the department was “wasteful and polluted by liberal ideology.”
The idea that modern education indoctrinates youth into liberal ideology is the driving force of anti-education sentiments among American conservatives.
In several states across the country, school curriculum is being heavily controlled and censored.
18 state laws have been passed restricting the way slavery and racism can be taught in schools. One example is Florida, where curriculum now requires students to be taught the supposed benefits enslaved people received from being trafficked and enslaved.
An epidemic of book banning has also swept the nation, with hundreds of titles being pulled from shelves, many of which containing LGBTQ+, racial oppression, or anti-authoritarian components.
Disinformation
The rejection of science, education and fact increases the rise of mis and disinformation. Social media platforms have allowed for disinformation and anti-intellectual sentiments to run rampant, even from those in official positions.
One of the most prolific pieces of disinformation in recent years is the idea that the 2020 Presidential Election was “stolen” from Donald Trump. Despite no sufficient evidence to prove voter fraud, Trump and his supporters continue to make this claim to this day.
Fox News, a popular right-wing television program, perpetuated this lie and accused the electronic voting company, Dominion Voting Systems, of being a participant. Dominion filed a defamation lawsuit against the station and won. Fox News was ordered to pay Dominion almost $800 million and had to reclassify from a news company to an entertainment company. Despite all of this, millions of Americans still watch Fox News and believe it to be an accurate source of news.
Since President Trump and his supporters aggressively label any publication that criticizes him as “fake news,” real and reliable information is discarded by those who do not want to believe it.
Donald Trump has been criminally convicted of 34 felony charges and has been held civilly liable of sexual abuse, yet millions of Americans refuse to believe he has done anything wrong. They fabricate stories of biased judges and juries and smear campaigns, so they can intentionally ignore the facts.
I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot someone and I wouldn’t lose voters.
– Donald J. Trump
Anti-intellectualism only benefits those in power. The less educated we are as a population, the easier we are to control. When people refuse to see the misdoings of politicians they support, those politicians can get away with practically anything, as Donald Trump has done and continues to do.
We cannot let political and social biases cloud our view of the truth. President Trump and other politicians, on both the left and right, want you to blindly believe what they say and reject the facts in front of you. It is imperative we seek out the real truth, not the truth we want to believe.