In record time, a court has at least temporarily put a stop to the Trump administration’s latest attack on Harvard University, part of a larger retaliation spree that began in April.
Attacks will not stop, and it is naive to think that this is all primarily a Harvard problem, or even only a challenge to higher education.
Noem’s letter to Harvard makes clear that Trump and his sycophants will weaponize the state against anyone who incurs their displeasure.
This line of attack has now been extended with absurd claims that Harvard “coordinates with the Chinese Communist Party” and is somehow “pro-terrorist”.
And even JD Vance is unlikely to send his offspring to Pázmány Péter Catholic University in Budapest (no disrespect!
The latest assault on Harvard University by the Trump administration, which started in April as part of a broader retaliation campaign, has been at least temporarily halted by a court in record time.
Thousands of young people and their families were left feeling scared and uncertain about their futures after Kristi Noem revoked Harvard’s certification to accept international students on Thursday. I’m relieved that the restraining order was issued quickly. It does not, however, justify complacency.
The attacks will continue, and it is naive to believe that this is solely a problem facing higher education or even a Harvard issue. Noem’s letter to Harvard makes it abundantly evident that Trump and his supporters will use the government as a weapon against anyone who offends them. In order to have any chance of living in a nation free from fear and with at least a minimal respect for the rule of law, the entire pattern must stop, even if courts are able to avert the worst.
Harvard’s lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security correctly noted that Noem’s revocation is part of the Trump administration’s vengeful campaign, which was sparked by Harvard’s defiance of demands that were made in mid-April and were clearly unlawful. Trumpists had defended their authority to decide on the proper proportions of “viewpoint diversity” between students and faculty, among other things. $2.02 billion in research funds were frozen after Harvard filed a lawsuit. Later, on April 30, education secretary Linda McMahon claimed in a cabinet meeting that Harvard was not disclosing “foreign money that comes in.”. Absurd allegations that Harvard “coordinates with the Chinese Communist Party” and is in some way “pro-terrorist” have now been added to this line of attack.
The president has been using social media to vent his frustrations at Harvard rather than carrying out the important government task of disparaging Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen, which has been the background noise to the official official letters. According to the founder of a university whose students were awarded a $25 million settlement, the oldest university in the US has “scammed the public,” posed a “threat to democracy,” and exposed defenseless young Americans to “crazed lunatics” (as opposed to non-crazed lunatics). Underlings strive to appease the leader by anticipating his desires and copying his mannerisms, a well-known trend in authoritarian regimes. Along with omitting supporting documentation and violating procedural safeguards, official letters, posts, and press releases from DHS and the Department of Education also contain the signature capitalization, spelling errors, and kindergarten-level invective that are common in the president’s rhetoric. They also make up ad hoc demands that are not supported by the law. The Avenger-in-Chief, online Maga mobs, and Fox viewers are the main forces behind this governance.
The measures are hardly harmless due to incompetence. Even when courts intervene, they continue to instill fear (and no, not all Ivy League undergrads are pampered children who never have anything to fear). Noem escalated the situation further by requesting audio and video from every Harvard protest. It is a blatant indication for youth to stop talking and get in line. However, the letter also made clear that it was a “privilege to employ aliens on campus,” which was a signal to foreign faculty. The threat is consistent with the nativism of Stephen Miller, the nation’s chief xenophobe, who not only targets those who enter the country illegally but also views foreigners in general as issue.
Noem’s rhetoric, however, also matched the reasoning of authoritarian populist leaders who assert that they are the only ones who truly represent “the real people”: even citizens will be subject to accusations by Trump and his supporters that they are not true Americans. Trump stated during the cabinet meeting on April 30th that “their students, professors, and attitude are not American.”. The “evils of anti-Americanism” must be eradicated from “society” as a whole, Noem wrote in her letter, making it apparent that her weaponization of the state would not be limited to college campuses.
From this failed attack thus far (eight investigations involving six different agencies are still ongoing), we can learn more significant lessons. One must be prepared, and Harvard’s attorneys were obviously prepared. All universities must support one another; Noem cautioned them to “get their act together” or else. Not to mention, university administrators must explain to the general public how Trumpists are destroying American soft power, preventing cancer treatments, and destroying one of the nation’s main exports—higher education—in an unprecedented campaign of national self-destruction.
In reality, the attack on universities is unpopular, just like so many other Trump policies. A resounding majority of Americans oppose Trump’s approach to higher education, despite years of journalists and some professors preparing the public to believe that campuses are run by woke commissars and “Marxist maniacs” (Trump’s phrase: “I am still looking for them in the Economics Department”). Conservatives have fostered animosity toward “liberal eggheads” for decades, but when their kids get sick, they still want to send them to the best medical schools. To paraphrase the Harvard Crimson, no parent wants their children away at college to be pawns in political games and at the mercy of an administration. Furthermore, even JD Vance is not likely to send his children to Budapest’s Pázmány Péter Catholic University (no offense intended!).
