Trump Doesn’t Seem to Know What Community Colleges Are

On Thursday, President Donald Trump gave a speech to Ohioans on infrastructure, and offered numerous comments that made it seem as though he does not know what community colleges are.

He compared community colleges to vocational schools, even though they are not the same. Community colleges are usually two-year schools that often offer associate’s degrees. They have many of the same kinds of courses that a four-year university would, but at a lower cost. Vocational schools, also known as trade schools, provide hands-on learning for those going into a specific career, such as electrician work, mechanics or cosmetology.

“To me it means a two-year college, I don’t know what it means,” Trump said. “But I know what vocation ― and I tell people, call it vocational from now on, it’s a great word, it’s a great word. Call it vocational and technical perhaps, but use vocational, because that’s what it’s all about. People know what that means, we don’t know what a community college means.”

This isn’t the first time Trump has equated the two types of schools. Last month, he spoke at a retreat for Republican members of congress and implied that community colleges and trade schools are the same but under different names.

Along with colleges, Trump’s speech covered a variety of other topics, including the reboot of the “Roseanne” sitcom, North Korea and old roads and bridges that need repairing.