Donald Trump is incensed that Harvard University won’t give in to his administration’s draconian demands, and is taking further action against the institution.
The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday night that the White House plans to pull $1 billion in federal funding for Harvard’s health research, which comes after the administration cut $2.2 billion in grants and a $60 million contract with the university last week.
The White House is reportedly upset that the university publicly released a letter that the administration’s Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism sent it more than a week ago. The task force’s letter had a long list of demands, apparently under the impression that it would simply be a starting point for negotiations. Since the letter’s release, Trump has planned to treat Harvard even more harshly than Columbia University, which lost $400 billion in federal funding despite giving in to the administration’s demands.
Harvard President Alan Garber had written his own letter to the university community, rejecting Trump’s demands. “No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” he wrote.
Trump has already threatened to end the university’s tax-exempt status, which would cost the university millions of dollars, as well as its ability to enroll international students, which make up 27 percent of Harvard’s enrollment. Now the president expects an even more protracted fight with America’s oldest university.
“Instead of grandstanding, Harvard should focus on rebuilding confidence among all students, particularly Jewish students,” a White House spokesperson told the Journal. “The White House remains open to dialogue, but serious changes are needed at Harvard.”
Trump’s attacks on academic freedom echo the right’s long-standing grievances against higher education institutions in America, which it sees as bastions of liberal influence. Last year’s protests at universities across the country against Israel’s brutal war in Gaza incensed supporters of Israel and further drove Republicans to punish any university they perceive as failing to take action. After making an example of Columbia, Trump and his fellow conservatives are expanding their crusade.