Trump’s Offensive Against American Universities: Harvard on the Front Line

Similar to the dynamics observed with other American federal, state, or even private institutions that oppose Trump’s agenda, the administration of President Donald Trump is attempting to exert control over various American universities. This intervention includes meddling in university policies and undermining “freedom of opinion and expression,” according to some university professors, by preventing students from expressing their views, particularly those related to the Palestinian cause. These universities have been threatened with cuts to the federal grants they receive or being deprived of tax exemptions.

Some universities have indeed responded to the Trump administration’s demands, but others are strongly challenging Trump’s influence, with Harvard University at the forefront, rebuffing the administration’s efforts to alter its policies. This includes halting the implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs for hiring or selecting students, changing leadership, and making alterations to allow the formation of student groups. This also involves organizing protests, which, according to the U.S. administration, creates an environment hostile to Jewish students, referring to protests against the genocide. Furthermore, Harvard is expected to submit a quarterly report on its achievements related to these goals to the federal government until 2028.

Features of the Clash

Several characteristics indicate a clash between American universities and the Trump administration, particularly due to Trump’s objection to universities allowing students to protest against the disproportionate Israeli war on the residents of Gaza, and the demand for universities to terminate contracts with companies that support Israel. The following outlines the features of this clash:

1. Withdrawal and Freezing of Federal Funding for Certain Academic Programs: The Trump administration is currently exploiting federal funding to threaten universities that do not comply with policy changes. In this regard, the Department of Homeland Security announced a freeze on several billion dollars in federal grants designated for the University of Massachusetts, and federal funding of approximately $2.7 million to Harvard University was suspended due to accusations of financing incendiary and biased research not benefitting taxpayers. Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social: “Harvard University is just a joke, teaching hate and stupidity, and should not receive federal money anymore.”
2. Intervention by the State Department to Cancel Student Visas: Amid the cancellation of foreign student visas, the State Department refuses to disclose lists of students at risk of deportation, leaving universities in a chaotic situation as they cannot provide legal protection for students facing deportation or legal action from the U.S. Department of Justice. For instance, federal authorities abruptly terminated the visas of 25 students at George Mason and Georgetown universities. More than 1,300 students across about 210 American universities have had their visas revoked.
3. Expanding Arrests and Pursuits of Foreign Students: Multiple cases have emerged targeting students or university professors, such as Tufts University student “Rumaysa Ozturk,” who was arrested by Homeland Security forces on March 25 for allegedly supporting Hamas. A memo from the State Department issued last March stated that there was no evidence linking Ozturk to Hamas or anti-Semitism; however, the Secretary of State can exploit a law allowing for the cancellation of visas for non-Americans.

On another front, with Harvard University standing firm in its position, it received a direct threat from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to obstruct the university’s ability to “accept foreign students” by denying it certification for the Exchange Visitor Program by April 30 if the university does not provide “records of foreign students who participated in illegal or violent activities.”

4. Threat to Withdraw Tax Exemptions: While tax exemptions granted to religious groups, nonprofit organizations, and “some educational institutions meeting government standards provided they do not engage in political activities” fall under the jurisdiction of the Internal Revenue Service, Trump threatened Harvard University with the loss of tax exemptions amounting to $2 billion, which the IRS began to review at the request of the Treasury Department.

Multiple Consequences

Trump’s campaign and its repercussions are expected to have direct consequences on universities and indirect effects on the United States as a whole, which can be highlighted as follows:

1. Politicization of Research Outcomes: This outcome is likely to be at the forefront of the repercussions of Trump’s current policies. If some results of academic studies contradict Trump’s administration, universities may refrain from disclosing their content, or else they could face various forms of punishment from the Trump administration, ranging from defamation of the university and its research to attempts to dismiss its staff, deport its immigrant students, or deprive it of federal funding. Consequently, by the end of Trump’s term, some universities—if not most—will be compelled to alter their research findings out of fear of being targeted by Trump and his team, which could adversely affect the reputation and productivity rate of American scientific research. Notably, despite Columbia University agreeing to alter its policies to comply with Trump’s demands to receive $400 million in frozen grants, the federal government implemented new cuts to the grants it received.
2. Loss of Appeal for the United States as a Premier Education Destination: The deportation and targeting of foreign students, which Secretary of State Mike Rubio announced his intent to expand, are expected to have an influence; students are being deported despite possessing legal student visas. Currently, there is a dedicated team monitoring students’ activities and posts on social media platforms; those expressing support for Hamas or the Palestinian cause are targeted as promoters of anti-Semitism. On the other hand, some are accused of minor offenses, such as traffic violations or working without authorization. Over time, this will diminish foreign students’ willingness to travel to the United States for study due to concerns about infringement on their freedoms.
3. Divisions within the U.S. Congress Regarding Trump’s Policies Toward Foreign Students: Despite a significant number of Republicans in Congress supporting Trump’s various policies, there are several Republican members, including Senator James Lankford from Oklahoma, who criticized the Trump administration’s treatment of foreign students and asserted the need for “fair treatment” for them. Democratic lawmakers have also criticized the targeting, threats, and arrests of students, accusing the administration of trying to violate the Constitution and U.S. laws that protect freedom of opinion and expression, emphasizing the need to safeguard foreign students with legal residency status in the United States. They also called for the immediate release of Palestinian activist student Mahmoud Khalil, who led pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University, through a petition signed by about 11 lawmakers, led by Palestinian-American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.
4. Silencing Voices Supporting the Palestinian Cause: While this cause contributed to Trump’s victory in the November 2024 elections due to objections from Arab and Muslim voters regarding U.S. foreign policy toward the war on Gaza, leading them to vote for Trump, who promised to end wars in the Middle East, Trump’s current handling of the protests and the students involved indicates a desire to eliminate any means of supporting the Palestinian cause, whether through peaceful demonstrations protected by law or by preventing discussions about the issue on social media platforms.
5. Threat to Medical Research and Public Health Decline: The Trump administration is notifying universities of its intentions for changes but does not provide sufficient time for them to implement the required alterations; it begins to reduce federal funding, as witnessed with Harvard University, which announced its refusal to adhere to the imposed Trump policies, stating that such policies contravene Supreme Court rulings granting universities autonomy on their campuses to ensure the independence of education. As a result, federal grants amounting to $2.2 billion offered to the university were halted, prompting Nobel Laureate David Walt, a professor at Harvard, to declare that this cessation will impede medical research at the university and restrict future recruitment of researchers in this field, adversely affecting public health in the United States and limiting medical discoveries for treating chronic diseases.

Imminent Repercussions

Overall, the Trump administration’s attempt to interfere in the operations of educational institutions will be dire; it does not only impact those institutions but also reflects on one of the United States’ key attributes, which is scientific leadership. This situation opens the door for competitive nations to fill the void left by Washington, which seeks to tighten restrictions on immigration to the United States, whether through legal or illegal means, after it was once seen as a land of opportunities and dreams.