Will Harvard learn a lesson? Do they even understand what the lesson is?
“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.” – President Alan Garber https://t.co/6cQQpcJVTd
— Harvard University (@Harvard) April 14, 2025
Probably not
Harvard rejects Trump demands, gets hit by $2.3 billion funding freeze
Harvard on Monday rejected numerous demands from the Trump administration that it said would cede control of the school to a conservative government that portrays universities as dangerously leftist.
Within hours of Harvard taking its stand, the administration of President Donald Trump announced it was freezing $2.3 billion in federal funding to the school.
The funding freeze comes after the Trump administration said last month it was reviewing $9 billion in federal contracts and grants to Harvard as part of a crackdown on what it says is antisemitism that erupted on college campuses during pro-Palestinian protests in the past 18 months.
On Monday, a Department of Education task force on combating antisemitism accused America’s oldest university of having a “troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges – that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws.”
The exchange escalates the high-stakes dispute between the the Trump administration and some of the world’s richest universities that has raised concerns about speech and academic freedoms.
Does Harvard actually want to die on the hill of defending Jew hatred? Apparently so. And the lesson is that private entities shouldn’t be taking large sums of government money if they do not want the government to have a say in their operations.
Harvard President Alan Garber wrote in a public letter on Monday that demands made by the Department of Education last week would allow the federal government “to control the Harvard community” and threaten the school’s “values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit, production, and dissemination of knowledge.”
Of, course, again, those operations are Jew hatred and supporting a US designated terrorist group. Defending students and staff who are calling for killing Jews and Americans. Who are calling to destroy Israel and America. Is that the knowledge Harvard is defending?
And, yeah, the federal government shouldn’t be giving private institutions taxpayer money, but, hey, that’s what happened thanks to Democrats in Congress working with Democrats at schools like Harvard. Kinda backfired, eh?
That is absolutely true. And no private university can require that the government support them.
I was going to express the same sentiment.
I wonder what they were doing in exchange for all that money. I suspect a whole lot of leftist activism. One of the things we learned from DOGE is just how much the Left was fully funded by the taxpayers while the Left undermined those same taxpayers.
This too was my first thought. Let them teach communism. Just don’t ask me to pay for it.
[…] Also see: William Teach, “Trump Admin Cancels $2.3 Billion In Funding To Harvard“ […]
Money talks and withholding $2.3 billion of taxpayers money talks loudly.
We’ll see how long Garber holds out.
Bwaha! Lolgfy Harvard!
MAGA47 – A Real President!
Forty-seven imagines that part of his charge is to dismantle the education system of the United States – especially those ‘liberal’ research universities like Hahvahd, Columbia ($400 M), Penn ($1 billion), Duke/UNC ($2.2 billlion), U of Kentucky ($300 M), UCLA, Johns Hopkins, LSU ($500 M), U of Wisconsin, Washington University -St Lou ($730 M) etc.
These funds support students, training, university healthcare and scientific/medical research. Forty-seven’s handlers understand an uneducated populace is easier to control and rule.
The question is: Does 47 see Harvard as an example to get all the other universities to obey His rules, or will he gut all our research universities, public and private?
Do Americans favor medical research or should we just stop it to save money?
An aside… Donald Jesus Trump will spend more taxpayer money on golf ‘research’ this year than the University of Kentucky on medical research.
Yup, all these private universities with multi-billion dollar endowments are just going to dry up and blow away without all that sweet, sweet taxpayer lucre.
Just another example of blue being subsidized by red.
Ellie
If you take Caesar’s money then you do what Caesar says.
Jimmie,
If it only worked that way. Caesar was a dictator. Our ‘Emperor’ was elected, barely. Although Donnie Jesus Trump views himself as the Supreme Ruler, he is not. He’s just another government employee, answerable to the citizens.
Forty-seven’s handlers want our universities to teach caucasian, christian, conservative propaganda, science and history.
The Emperor has No Clothes! Gross.
Oddly enough, the esteemed Mr Dowd never seemed to combitch about colleges taking Caesar’s money and imposing Caesar’s dictates when it came to Affirmative Action and DEI and the sheltering of illegal immigrants.
But now, when Caesar is someone determined to protect Western civilization, fight anti-Semitism, and promote equality based on performance rather than ‘equity,’ by which it is meant equal outcomes rather than equal opportunities across demographic groups, Mr Dowd and the left at large are outraged.
Ellie
It doesn’t matter what Caesar was, if U take his money you do his bidding.
Jimbo,
Did you take federal money when President Biden was in office?
Why would I complain about Affirmative action and DEI, programs that I largely support?
It’s Mr Dana’s opinion that 47 is trying to protect western civilization, fight anti-Semitism and promote equality based on performance. It’s my opinion that 47 doesn’t care about any of that.
Rimjob supports tax funded antisemitism being taught in schools.
There’s propaganda…
then there’s Rimjob Propaganda.
Bwaha! Lolgf Loser!
MAGA47 – A Real Leader!
Sucks when the right fights back doesn’t it Dowd. The more you cry the more we know that we are doing whats right for America.
What happened to Free college. All those students should be taught for free by Harvard. Then you can fill that institution with low life MS13 or gangsta’s from Venezuela and teach them for free how to make their own meth and cocaine.
While real students learn how to drive a garbage truck.
Is trying to destroy higher education “the right” “fighting back”? That seems short-sighted, doesn’t it?
We get it. “The Right” hates higher education. They hate the arrogant elites from the Harvards, Yales, Princetons, U of Kentucky, Missouri State etc who look down on us “commoners”!
Why has college education become so expensive? Several reasons, State gubmints have been cutting funding. More students – demand and competition drives up prices! Increased costs of student services, salaries and Upgrades in facilities to attract students – competition! Student loans and grants.
The 47%-ers see Forty-seven as their annointed leader – their savior – to reverse decades of advantages given to Blacks, women, foreigners, gays, trans, the disabled, Muslims – in fact all non-caucasian, non-christian, non-straight, non-male, non-‘native’, non-‘abled’ Americans.
Nothing else explains the undying 47% support for the uncivil, lying, cheating, immoral, draft-dodging, rapacious, un-christian felon with limited understanding of our government. Nothing is more important to the 47%-ers than this. Nothing.
Forty-seven could shoot a migrant in the head on TV and not lose any support.
NO. We hate YOUR version of higher education. Far left communist professors teaching far left progressive garbage.
Thats okay. Biden could have shot a conservative in the head on tv and not lost any support. Your point?
to reverse decades of advantages given to Blacks, women, foreigners, gays, trans, the disabled, Muslims – in fact all non-caucasian, non-christian, non-straight, non-male, non-‘native’, non-‘abled’ Americans.
TOTALLY BOGUS LIE made up by the left to scare people. Trump’s Secretary of the Treasury is GAY. Trump’s NDI and the Director of the FBI are not caucasian. Trump’s primary trouble shooter sent personally by him to deal with hot spots around the world…..IS GAY. Trump’s Secretary of Labor is a woman who strongly supports unions. Trump has surrounded himself with women. He nominated a woman to the Supreme Court. The internet is full of blacks with podcasts supporting Trump.
The reason the left is wandering in the wilderness is because of people like you who continue to talk lies rather than talk solutions, as you see the problems.
Just more Saul Alinsky…….never let them know what YOU would DO to fix anything. Make them defend their own positions. Excellent Job, Dowd.
Simple. Forty-seven needs to worry about America. His trade war is stupid – to his credit when it went south he surrendered – taking a pause. But what will he do when the recession hits?
He picks fights with the top universities in the world for no good reason. It has been a reactionary myth that universities, private and public (except for Liberty U) are breeding grounds for radicals! So they want to take control of the curricula there and hire only right wing professors!!
He picks fights with the media for tellig the truth. Forty-seven has no need for the truth.
His assaults on education, science and healthcare are reckless.
He believes he is the King of America.
Fat Jeff,
It is beyond obvious that you are totally ignorant about every aspect of current policy and objectives. I find you a marvelous person in that you have no problem displaying you ignorance and stupidity to the world.
Doctor Demento,
I’ll give your critique the attention it deserves. Thanks for your advice.
“Harvard confident it can harass its Jewish students even without Trump’s federal funding”
BB
Harvard has an endowment of 53 billion
2 billion is 4% of its endowment
Bro! Harvard is rich !
Liberals are stuffed full with cash
Yep!
And does Rimjob have a point?
Nah, didn’t th8nk so.
Bwaha! Lolgf Loser!
The real power in this world was revealed. The one power the Communist Chinese Troll from Shanghai pretends to oppose with a passion has revealed his true self.
Dowd for years ranted against corporations and the mega rich only to then have the corporations and mega rich join his side. Now instead of condemning wall street he defends it. He defends Big Pharma and big tech.
Wall Street is the enemy of his enemy and so it is now his friend.
WAIL STREET has caused NEARLY every recession and depression this country has had. Trump ended his tariffs because the bond market lost its mind. The dow can plumet 10000 points like it did in 2008 and the country and roar back stronger than ever….hence the 45k dow vs the 8k down of 2008 great depression.
But when the bond market escalates out of control then you know it must be nipped in the bud immediately and it was the Black Rocks and T. Rowe Prices of the world who flew out of stocks and bashed the bond market into forcing Trump to stop the tariffs.
Why? Because by buying up and escalating the bonds and moving out of stocks, the next thing to happen will be the little guy following them to bonds only to have them dump their bonds and roar back into stocks leaving the little guys bankrupt and holding long term bonds that are tied up for 10 years.
HENCE WALL STREET GOT A DOES OF their own medicine from Trump by his immediately freezing tariffs and stopping this stock market manipulation almost immediately.
Hooray for Trump who is a business man and not a politician who is willing to die on any hill. Like the Democrats and RUSSIA/RUSSIA……UKRAINE.
We see that Mr D&G has lost his mind too! You 47%-ers are obligated to tie yourselves in knots to defend 47’s unsettling of the world economy. He is demented and dishonest, but the leader of your cult.
How many businesses has the businessman shit-canned?
Ahh, is China hurting? The truth hurts, doesn’t it, Dowd?
The rest of the world is just fine. A bit annoyed because they have been putting large tariffs on the USA for decades, but when the USA reciprocates, it’s the crime of the century. LOLOLOL.
If the USA were a corporation, the rest of the world would have declared it bankrupt 100 years ago.
No knots for me. Just making America Great Again. Oh WAWEOHHHHH! Chant, Chant, Chant. All Praise the 47 percenters.
He who pays the piper calls the tune. Harvard has tons of money and lots of rich alumni. They don’t need my money.
A couple of other items to suspend for Harvard — Student Visas for a couple of years — Harvard don’t need no foreign student’s cash. Suspend the student loan and grant programs. Rich kids don’t need no stinkin’ federal assistance.
Jan Peter Blickenstaff in your insane rant in comment #9 above you sound exactly like over the edge Elwood does. But your last comment made sense. Rich kids don’t need no stinking federal assistance that is correct.
Porter Good doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Does he really believe only rich kids should go to the Harvards of the US? (Contrary to his tag line, he’s been blocking my criticisms of him.)
Fat Forty-seven hates the educated elites who have mocked him over the decades. He hates that Harvard, Yale or Princeton degrees confer respect that he’s never had.
Rimjob: Contrary to his tag line, he’s been blocking my criticisms of him.
Dumbass
So prove it.
He hasn’t blocked any of your other ridiculous posts.
Have a clue, dumbass.
Bwaha! Lolgfy Loser!
MAGA47 Motherfucker!
All 47 wanted Harvard to do was:
screening foreign applicants “hostile to the American values and institutions”
allowing an external body to audit university departments for “viewpoint diversity”
close all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and offices
a comprehensive mask ban with immediate, serious penalties for violation “not less than suspension”
forbidding the recognition and funding of student groups or clubs that promote “criminal activity, illegal violence, or illegal harassment”
ending all affirmative action in faculty hiring and student admissions
promote faculty committed to the Trump demands, as articulated in the letter, and “reducing the power” of faculty and administrators
Harvard told forty-seven “nope”, as have several other universities.
Fewer dollars for research but more for Trump Inc!!
Yes, J-he definitely needs more money! Good catch
Jill,
You don’t understand the wealthy do you? They never have enough. They have all the creature comforts they and their family could ever need or want. Now it’s just about keeping score – padding their ego. Big Donnie had no reason to lie about his wealth, no reason to cheat on taxes, no reason to stiff his contractors… it’s a game for them. All about domination and submission.
There’s reasoned arguments…
then there’s Rimjob Arguments.
They are not the same.
Bwaha! Lolgf Loser!
You don’t understand that you should offer evidence that “there’s more for Trump”. I do understand how to make an argument quite well, though
Columbia capitulated and Fat 47 still withheld funding and made more demands. That’s just the way he does business. If you surrender he goes for the throat.
How is Trump University doing?
The basic biology, chemistry, molecular biology, pharmacology and physics that forms the basis for ALL the advances that come from American pharma, diagnosis and medicine comes from research sponsored by the the United States government. If you or someone you know have had treatments for cancers, heart disease, COPD, mental illness, infections, Alzheimer’s and/or received diagnostic procedures. you have the US government to thank.
Could the system have been improved? No doubt. Will 47 and RFK Jr fix it? No…
You mean like the basic biology that discovered that male and female are determined by XY or XX chromosomes, and is unchangeable?
Besides being untrue, that has nothing to do with drug development.
Very few people have been karyotyped, therefore don’t know if they are XX or XY. It’s a common misunderstanding.
In addition, there are XX men and XY women, not to mention persons with indeterminate sex.
Is it time for Big Forty-seven to send the National Guard into Harvard Yard to teach those eggheads a lesson? Can’t we nationalize all these hoity-toity “universities” whose only function seems to create a ruling class???
Maybe The Government can confiscate Harvard’s $50 BILLION endowment?
Maybe put a couple of America-criticizing professors against ‘the wall’.