President Trump traveled to Wheeler High School in Marietta on Wednesday to promote a new savings program for children. By the time he left, the event looked much more like a political campaign rally than the educational showcase the school district had promised.
The stated purpose of the event was to promote Trump Accounts, a new federal program that deposits $1,000 into an investment fund for every American baby born between 2025 and 2028. The program opened nationwide on July 4, and the White House chose Wheeler High School in Cobb County, one of Georgia’s largest and most diverse public school districts, as the backdrop.
The Cobb County School District had framed the visit in similarly civic terms, saying the president had “chosen to visit the District for an event highlighting education and student achievement” and promising a look at “the academic excellence, exceptional educators, and high-achieving students” of Cobb schools.
Almost nothing about the event matched that description. No speaker discussed Wheeler High School or Cobb County’s academic achievements.
Instead, Trump was joined onstage by nearly the entire Republican statewide ticket ahead of November’s midterm elections, including the nominees for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. Trump offered his “complete and total endorsement” to the candidates who joined him.
Additionally, during his remarks, Trump urged Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster, called for passage of the SAVE America Act, and described Democrats as “deranged.”
Outside, hundreds of protesters lined nearby roads, objecting to Trump’s policies and the district’s decision to hold a political event on school grounds.
It also remained unclear who paid for the event. Cobb schools security and catering staff were present throughout, prompting questions about whether taxpayers were subsidizing what amounted to a partisan rally—and whether Trump could have used the pretense of an official visit to subsidize a campaign stop.
“He has a habit of not wanting to pay for things on his own,” said Micheal Garza, the Democratic nominee for a Cobb County school board seat.
Essence Johnson, chair of the Cobb County Democratic Committee, said if the money came out of the Cobb County school system, it was a waste.
“We can’t afford to feed our students through the summer. We can’t afford to pay our teachers,” she said. “All of this money could have been used for supplies.”
The visit landed in a county that has become a progressive bastion. Since 2016, Cobb has shifted toward Democrats, who now control the county commission, sheriff’s office, and district attorney’s office. The school board is one of the last Republican strongholds, holding a 4-3 majority.
Superintendent Chris Ragsdale and the board’s Republican members have repeatedly aligned themselves with the president’s agenda, banning the teaching of critical race theory and dismissing a fifth-grade teacher who had read her class a book that challenged gender stereotypes.
Garza is challenging David Chastain, the Republican incumbent, for the Post 4 seat this November after narrowly winning the Democratic primary. His hope, he said, is for school board meetings to go back to being “boring,” focused on students rather than staged political spectacles. If he wins, Democrats would gain full control of the school board.
