Former President Barack Obama praised Harvard University’s decision to resist the Trump administration’s conditions for federal funding, and encouraged other institutions to do the same.
The White House is freezing $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts towards the Ivy League school after it rejected demands to implement a mask ban, make changes to programs and departments that “fuel antisemitic harassment” and eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
In a statement late Monday, Obama applauded Harvard, where he attended law school, for rejecting the stipulations.
“Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions – rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking concrete steps to make sure all students at Harvard can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect,” he said.
“Let’s hope other institutions follow suit.”
Obama’s comments come almost two weeks after the former president warned during a sit-down discussion at Hamilton College in New York that Americans may have to “possibly sacrifice” if they want to stick up for democratic values. He encouraged universities and law firms to resist intimidation from the Trump administration.
A U.S. Department of Education task force dedicated to rooting out antisemitism, however, slammed Harvard’s decision saying it, “reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges.”
Federal investment, the panel said, comes with the “responsibility to uphold civil rights laws.”
Republicans began to focus on claims of anti-Jewish bias on several college campuses amid concerns of student safety over Gaza encampment campus protests in 2024.
President Donald Trump has called the protesters antisemitic and said they are sympathetic to Hamas militants and are foreign policy threats. He has been threatening the funds of leading universities across the nation if they don’t comply with his demands, including Princeton, Brown, Cornell, Northwestern, and Columbia.
Immigration officials announced this week, for instance, that they are screening social media for antisemitic activity, “and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals,” in order to block immigration benefits.
“There is no room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers, and we are under no obligation to admit them or let them stay here,” said Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson.
Contributing: Zac Anderson, Thao Nguyen
