Edzard Ernst
MD, PhD, MAE, FMedSci, FRCP, FRCPEd.

Trump’s bewildering relationship with academia (PART 2)

Published Tuesday 27 May 2025
In PART 1 of this series, we have seen that Trump and his family had a somewhat checkered time during their educational years and managed less than impressive academic careers. Some might speculate that Trump’s personal experience caused his colision course with US academia. Trump has been describes as intensely vindictive, but when you see the list below, you probably agree with me that there must be more to it than petty revenge.
  1. Trump ordered his administration to freeze US $2.2 billion in federal grants and $60 million in multi-year contract value to Harvard. He alleged that this action was prompted by Harvard’s failure to address antisemitism and comply with federal demands. Trump’s action came after the Harvard President, Alan Garber, had refused to meet demands such as auditing the student body and faculty for viewpoint diversity as well as shutting down diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
  2. An additional $450 million in taxpayer-funded grants was cut based on claims of fostering anti-Zionist extremism and violating civil rights.
  3. Trump also tried to bar Harvard from accepting students from countries other than the US and to force foreign students who are currently studying at Harvard to leave.
  4. Columbia Universit got US $400 million in federal contracts and grants canceled. This was because Trump felt Columbia was harboring antisemitism and promoting “anti-American” values. Columbia was also briefly placed on a federal “watchlist” before a court injunction blocked further punitive action.
  5. The Department of Education sent letters to 60 further universities threatening enforcement actions for non-compliance with anti-discrimination provisions in the Civil Rights Act.
  6. Funding was frozen for institutions like Princeton ($450 million) and Cornell ($1 billion), often tied to accusations of failing to curb pro-Palestinian protests or DEI initiatives.
  7. An Executive Order on Campus Accountability of April 11, 2025 directed the Department of Education to withhold federal funding from colleges deemed “hostile environments” under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, based on complaints of antisemitism. The aim was to justify funding cuts to universities that were alleged to be tolerant of pro-Palestinian protests.
  8. An Executive Order on DEI of January 2025 called for the elimination of federal funding for programs and grants related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, labeling them as “unlawful discrimination.” This has led to universities pausing or dismantling DEI initiatives to avoid financial penalties.
  9. An Executive Order on Accreditation Reform of April 2025 aimed to overhaul the accreditation system by encouraging new accreditors to increase competition and hold universities accountable for “ideological overreach.” This move is an attempt to manipulate accreditors to enforce compliance with the administration’s priorities.
  10. An Executive Order on Gain-of-Function Research of May 5, 2025 imposed strict regulations on federally funded experiments involving pathogens, banning funding for such research abroad and increasing penalties for violations.
  11. The Trump administration revoked over 300 F-1 visas, often targeting international students without clear explanations or due process.
  12. The Trump administration deleted records of international students, impacting their ability to study in the U.S.
  13. An Executive Order on Immigration Screening of January 29, 2025 established stringent vetting standards, including enhanced screening for visa applicants and stricter oversight of foreign nationals in the U.S. This has led to detentions and deportations of students and researchers because of their political views.
  14. The Department of Justice launched civil rights investigations into multiple campuses, accusing them of fostering antisemitic environments.
  15. A Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, established under Executive Order 14188 on January 29, 2025, announced visits to 10 universities, including Harvard and Columbia, to address alleged antisemitic harassment.
  16. The administration threatened to review the tax-exempt status of universities like Harvard, accusing them of inaccurately disclosing foreign funding sources.
  17. The Trump administration slashed National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding.
  18. The National Science Foundation (NSF) budget faces proposed cuts of up to two-thirds, threatening academic research broadly.
  19. Grants for research on climate change, gender studies, and health disparities in underrepresented groups have been frozen or canceled.
  20. The Trump administration has pressured universities to alter curricula, e.g. instructions to West Point to stop teaching courses on critical race theory and gender studies.
  21. The Trump administration fired hundreds of government scientists and reduced staff at agencies like the NIH, NSF, and Department of Education.
  22. Led by Elon Musk’ DOGE justified untold funding cuts and staff reductions allegedly to eliminate waste.
  23. Columbia was forced to oust its president, alter protest policies, and appoint a new administrator to oversee its Middle Eastern Studies department.

This is certainly a concerted and multi-layered action against academia. Its aim seems to be achieve what the Nazis called ‘Gleichschaltung’, i.e. the complete subordination and alignment with the governments ideology. In the next part of the series, we will explore what motivations might be behind it.

 

 

PS

Some of the above-named actions have been met with legal challenges, and their status may therefore still evolve.
Posted in bias, charlatan, commercial interests, conflict of interest, conspiracy, education, evidence, legal action, politics, progress, pseudo-science, regulation, research, risk

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