Thanks to Trump and his administration, US science is descending into chaos. Federal grants are being frozen, Scientists are getting fired and are leaving the US in droves, the NIH is under threat, crucial meetings are being postponed indefinitely and anti-science increasingly dominates the agenda of the White House.
US Universities are forced to cut back offers of admission for graduate students. Many have stopped hiring as the Trump administration threatens to take away federal money over their handling of a wide range of issues. Meanwhile, JD Vance does not miss an occasion to insult Europeans and to lecture us about free speach. The whole scenario is so utterly bizarre that it seems to originate from a 3rd class science fiction film.
Back in July 2024, when JD Vance first launched his attack on universities, I pointed out that fascist movements are known to be notoriously anti-intellectual and anti-science. Adolf Hitler said he regretted that his regime still had some need for its “intellectual classes,” otherwise, “one day we could, I don’t know, exterminate them or something.” And the ‘bon mot’, “when I hear the word culture, I reach for my gun”, is attributed even to several of the top Nazis of the Third Reich.
At the time, my comparison to fascist regimes may have seemed exaggerated to some. Now it is fairly obvious to all but the most deluded that it was spot on. Those who are not afraid of what Trump and his sycophants are doing to science are simply not listening!
In response to the multiple threats to science, ‘Stand Up for Science‘ organized demonstrations of scientific communities throughout the US. The central event took place in Washington, D.C. on March 7, 2025, with approximately 2,000 participants in attendance. Parallel demonstrations occurred in more than 30 additional U.S. cities, with international solidarity events reported in several countries, including over 30 locations in France.
Several universities in Europe and elsewhere have also reacted; they are busy putting programmes in place to receive scientists who are fleeing the US. The consequence will inevitably be a significant ‘brain drain’ that will haunt the US for decades to come.
11 Responses to The US is fast becoming a country of unreason – and Europe is ready to host the fleeing scientists
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Why do you care ? The electorate of the US has voted against the failed policies of the Biden administration… which included Kamala Harris. That is all you need to know. Now go fix your own problems.
How disarmingly sweet of you!
Why do I care?
There are many reasons; most you would not understand but this one you might:
I care because this will affect my and my family’s future in a directly detrimental way.
Got it?
@RG
Please allow me to correct you:
… and the other half voted for the Democrat candidate.
Our most important problem by far is the fact that the US is now led by a very stupid, dangerously mentally ill and highly volatile convicted criminal, who betrayed and harmed all of America’s long-time allies and partners for no good reason at all, and who does not honor things like treaties and laws. In fact, in all his infantile vindictiveness and malignant narcissism, he seems hell-bent on destroying anything and everything that his collective predecessors achieved, including the US itself.
This is not just upsetting the US, but has important consequences for all of the western world.
This is why we do (and have to) care.
No need to worry, Biden got voted out 🙂
It’s not just science that is under attack, it’s in fact everything and anything that Trump does not like or does not have a use for:
– Free speech in general – anyone who says things that Trump doesn’t like runs the risk of retribution in one form or another.
– News media in particular – during his speech in the Department of Justice, Trump more or less ordered the Justice Department to go after news media that did not favorably portray him.
– The judiciary (judges, attorneys and prosecutors) – any judge or legal professional who is not or was not(*) 100% loyal to Trump runs the risk of retribution, in the form of lawsuits and/or demotion.
– Anyone who is not a permanent US resident – even people with a green card or a valid visa now run the risk of being detained and deported without due process or access to legal counsel.
– Foreign allies and trade partners – Trump is bullying, threatening and harming all (former?) allies and friends of the US, among other things because he believes he knows better than anyone else how international economics work and how to ‘make deals’, while in reality being as dumb as a brick. Even in his former life as a businessman he was wildly unsuccessful, with more than half a dozen major bankruptcies to his name.
– Universities and other academic institutions – these have received threats of ‘legal investigations’ for not fully complying with Trump’s DEI purge. This even goes for private institutions over which the federal government has no jurisdiction at all.
And yes, many science-based organizations are targeted as well, often for reasons that are completely idiotic. Some examples:
– The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is being cut and dismantled because they are, according to Trump and his minions, “one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry.”
– The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has in fact been ordered to abolish most laws and regulations for environmental protection. When this development goes through, industries can once again dump hazardous waste in the water, soil and air with impunity, and without anyone being able to stop them.
Unfortunately, there is much, much more. And the most depressing thing about this all is not even Trump’s extreme stupidity and other severe mental issues, but the fact that republicans de facto handed Trump absolute power over all of the US – which IMO is better called Trumpistan by now.
*: Trump is at this very moment even trying to punish attorneys for the ‘crime’ of working for Hillary Clinton during the 2016 elections.
You missed the assassination attempts, he did like those either.
ahhh yes, you are concerned for yourself, how gracious of you. I do not recall hearing about your concern whild the Biden administration was ruining the USA.
you are clearly a moron!
CONGRATULATIONS FOR BEING ABLE TO MAKE THIS FACT SO CLEAR
Why do I care?
There are many reasons; most you would not understand but this one you might:
I care because this will affect my and my family’s future in a directly detrimental way.
Got it?
@RG
.. and this directly following my comment detailing the many ways in which Americans are harmed.
Your colossal stupidity is only rivaled by your total lack of reading skills.
No, we are not just concerned for ourselves. We are concerned for people worldwide – literally hundreds of millions – whose lives and well-being are at stake, now that a deeply stupid man-child is
runningdestroying the US and severely harming its former allies and partners, all for no good reason whatsoever.This concern explicitly includes almost all Americans, even the ones who were unwise enough to vote for the man, because they believed his promises-now-turned-lies. In fact, the latter group will disproportionally suffer the consequences from Trump’s insane antics, as these are often the lower-income people who are now confronted with higher prices, layoffs and diminishing services. Many of these people will lose their healthcare and their social security benefits if it’s up to Trump and his unelected buddy Elon Musk. PEOPLE DID NOT VOTE FOR THIS.
Yeah, and the 2020 elections were stolen from Trump, and Ukraine started the war against the Putin (who is a jolly good chap once you get to know him – just stay away from windows), and the January 6 convicts were fine, law-abiding citizens just taking a peaceful tour of the Capitol.
What a total imbecile you are … or rather a troll, because I can’t imaging anyone actually being as stupid as you pretend to be (with the exception of the occupant of the White House of course).
This cartoon pretty much sums it up:
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2025/03/brain-drain-by-oliver-schoff.jpeg
Does anyone know of such programs? Please let me know. I am very much interested.
I heard that the Uni Marseille is starting a program [sadly, I have no details]