Barack Obama has once again spoken out strongly against Donald Trump, this time criticizing a recent move by the Trump administration involving Harvard University.
Trump’s administration decided to pause $2.3 billion in federal funding for Harvard after the university refused to go along with a list of demands.
These demands included things like changing how they hire people, how students are admitted, and how certain topics are taught. One of the biggest points of conflict was Trump’s push to completely shut down all of Harvard’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. If Harvard had agreed, it would have meant giving the government significant control over how the university is run.
Obama, who has always had very different political views from Trump, didn’t hold back during a speech earlier this month at Hamilton College in New York. He said he disagrees deeply with Trump and that many government policies have lost their moral grounding. He didn’t mention Trump by name but made it clear who he was referring to.
After Harvard rejected Trump’s demands, the university’s president, Alan Garber, said that although some of the points claimed to address antisemitism, most of them were really just an attempt to control what’s taught and how the university runs. He said it was more about political pressure than real solutions.
In a strong show of support for Harvard, Obama tweeted that the university set a powerful example by standing up for academic freedom and making sure students can learn and debate in a respectful environment. He also encouraged other schools to do the same.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration fired back, accusing Harvard of acting entitled and refusing to take responsibility. In their letter, they also pushed for policies that would ban face masks on campus—a move seemingly aimed at silencing pro-Palestinian protestors—and called for changes in admissions to favor so-called “merit-based” decisions.
Harvard responded by saying they are committed to addressing antisemitism but that it won’t come through heavy-handed government interference. They made it clear that trying to control what happens inside classrooms and academic spaces goes against their values.
