It’s war between Trump, Harvard (and Obama)

A few hours after Harvard announced its refusal to comply with a series of demands from the Trump administration, Donald Trump retaliated by announcing the freeze of over two billion dollars in federal funds intended for the university.

According to a letter from the Trump administration to Harvard, obtained by the New York Times, the White House was demanding that the university comply with a series of measures, under penalty of losing its funding, mainly intended for research.

Harvard accuses the government of hiding, behind certain requirements related to the fight against anti-Semitism, an attempt to directly regulate intellectual conditions within the university.

The message from the president of Harvard University to the Trump administration is unequivocal:

«The University will not surrender its independence or its constitutional rights».

It also stated: «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».

This firm statement was quickly applauded by former President Barack Obama, himself a graduate of Harvard’s prestigious law school. He described the Trump administration’s attempts to control academic freedom as «unlawful and ham-handed».

Obama expressed hope that Harvard’s decision would serve as an example and encourage other universities and institutions to follow the same path.

American universities are facing pressure from the Trump administration, accused of attacking the fundamental principles of a democratic society, such as freedom of expression, association, and academic freedom. This attempt was condemned in a letter signed by nearly 900 institutions, including members of the faculty at Yale, according to The Guardian.

Trump’s requirements included removing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, changing admission policies to be based solely on merit, restricting the admission of international students deemed hostile to American values, banning pro-Palestinian student groups, collaborating with immigration authorities, and imposing a ban on wearing masks during protests on campus.

This content was created with the help of AI.