Revealing the Deep State’s ongoing effort to protect woke institutions from accountability, former President Barack Obama has come to the defense of Harvard’s anti-Trump stance.
Specifically, Obama praised the elitist institution for defying the Trump administration’s $2.3 billion funding freeze.
He called the funding pause an “unlawful attempt to stifle academic freedom” while ignoring the anti-semitism and radical leftist indoctrination flourishing on elite campuses.
Harvard University’s leadership recently rejected a series of demands from the Trump administration designed to combat anti-semitism, restore merit-based admissions, and end radical diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
In response, the Department of Education’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism froze $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contract value to the university.
Harvard President Alan Garber defended the university’s refusal to comply, claiming government overreach.
He stated, “No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”
The Trump administration’s demands included ending DEI programs, limiting international student admissions, requiring “viewpoint” diversity, banning face coverings used by pro-Palestinian demonstrators, and closing non-compliant departments.
These measures would have to be implemented by August 2025 if Harvard wants to maintain its federal funding.
Unlike Harvard’s defiance, Columbia University recently caved to similar demands after losing $400 million in grants.
Columbia agreed to place certain departments under “academic receivership” and implement other changes ordered by the administration to restore its federal funding.
Obama wasted no time jumping to Harvard’s defense on social media, writing:
“Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions — rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking steps to make sure students can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect.”
What Obama conveniently ignored is the Department of Education’s investigation into 60 colleges for documented antisemitic harassment and discrimination.
A department taskforce member responded to Harvard’s defiance:
“Harvard’s statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges – that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws.”
The standoff with Harvard is part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to “de-woke” elite educational institutions that have become breeding grounds for anti-American sentiment.
With a $53.2 billion endowment, Harvard can afford to grandstand while other universities are being forced to choose between their radical agendas and federal compliance.
Harvard’s lawyers, William Burck and Robert Hur, claimed the university “remains open to dialogue about what the university has done, and is planning to do, to improve the experience of every member of its community.”
Ultimately, the battle over Harvard’s funding represents a critical front in the larger cultural war for America’s future.
