This hasn't exactly been my experience, Python isn't easier to learn than e.g. Java because of the lack of static typing, it's easier because the language is more expressive.

I actually think there is literally no downside to making typing opt out rather than opt in - beginners benefit from the compiler saying they accidentally swapped two arguments around - how could they not?

I have helped beginners with untyped Python codebases and it's a lot harder to tell what function parameters are supposed to be than in Java or C++, leaving aside any other considerations.