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House Speaker Mike Johnson sounded the alarm over students viewing America through the “wrong lenses” at an event hosted by legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) celebrating the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.
“What ADF does every day on the front lines is defend the very foundations of the greatest nation in the history of the world, so that it can continue. We have a great challenge right now because, sadly, the generations coming behind us do not seem to fully appreciate and understand this,” Johnson told attendees as a keynote speaker at ADF’s summit in San Diego on July 9.
The ADF Summit 2026 brought together leaders from law, public policy, media, business, education, and Christian organizations. ADF stated that the event celebrated the historic 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by exploring the role of the founders and “why our founders held certain truths to be self-evident and what we must do to reclaim the spirit of 1776 today.”
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Fox News Digital previously reported on the polling showing Americans’ lack of trust in higher educational institutions. (Getty Images)
“ADF was deeply honored to welcome Speaker Johnson as a keynote speaker at our annual Summit,” said Kristen Waggoner, president, CEO, and chief counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom.
“Those who knew Speaker Johnson early in his career—when he worked alongside us at ADF—have been unsurprised to watch him bring the same grace, resolve, and fidelity to principle to one of the most difficult jobs in Washington,” Waggoner added. “His remarks on America’s spiritual heritage provided the ideal capstone to our week at Summit, where we celebrated the 250th anniversary of the American founding.”
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Delivering the final speech to close out the four-day event in California, Johnson shared that he often seeks opportunities to educate young people about American history to show them they live in the greatest nation in history.
“I would do that as often as possible, and I would go into big, often hostile arenas on university campuses, and I would ask for a simple whiteboard to put on the stage,” Johnson said. “And I would begin… my little lecture often, I would say, ‘Could I just have a raise of hands of anyone in the room?’ I would ask this of university students ‘Raise your hand if you agree you live in the greatest nation in the history of the world.’ And sadly, just a handful of hands would be raised. And I’d say, ‘Okay, well, if you don’t agree with me that you live in the greatest nation in the history of the world, would you raise your hand if you agree that you live in at least a great nation?’ I’d get a few more sheepish volunteers.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., delivering the keynote speech at the ADF Summit 2026 on July 9. (Fox News Digital)
Johnson expressed deep concern over students being “indoctrinated” in the classroom.
“I think on the nation’s 250th birthday, I believe we have a divine opportunity. We have a teachable moment. And I think we’ve got to make this very simple to explain it to the people coming behind us, because, let’s be honest, they’ve been indoctrinated in so many of these educational institutions,” Johnson said.
He went on to say, “They see America through the wrong lenses. And I think right now we have a great opportunity because on the nation’s birthday, we can take them right back to the nation’s birth certificate, the Declaration of Independence… I love that. When you’re a member of Congress, you get invited to speak to a lot of university students in that setting.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., shaking hands with Alliance Defending Freedom President Kristen Waggoner at the ADF Summit 2026. (Fox News Digital)
Fox News Digital previously reported on polling showing Americans’ lack of trust in higher educational institutions and a survey reportedly revealed a continuing political imbalance among university faculty.
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The latest Gallup data reveals that just 38% of U.S. adults maintain a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education. The figure represents a noticeable drop from last year, when trust in the sector experienced a modest uptick to 42%. Notably, 31% of those who express a lack of confidence cite perceived political indoctrination as a driving factor.
Another report, released by the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), revealed that liberal faculty members outnumber conservatives nearly 7-to-1 nationwide — a massive shift from 1969, when the ratio sat at less than 2-to-1.