NYT: Harvard Is Screwed, Trump Has All The Power

The New York Times on Friday admitted that President Donald Trump “holds the levers of power” in his battle with Harvard University, which the Times added has “no way out.”

Trump is taking on Harvard over the Ivy League’s DEI (“diversity, equity, and inclusion”) policies, its handling of antisemitism on campus, and biased hiring and admissions policies. The Trump administration is working to block billions of federal dollars to Harvard, and more recently halted the university’s ability to enroll international students, though that’s been temporarily blocked by a judge.

NYT correspondent Michael Schmidt, who painted Trump negatively, admitted that the federal government holds the levers of power, since Harvard takes so much money from the feds. Notably, Trump is cracking down on the school because they won’t adjust policies the Right views as discriminatory and anti-American.

“Trump has stripped extensive federal funding from Harvard,” Schmidt explained. “Let’s say a judge gives back all of that money for this year. Half of the university’s research budget comes from the federal government. Where is Harvard going to get the money in the year after that, and the year after that? If you’re a researcher, do you want to be doing research at a school where your funding is in question?”

“Harvard finds itself in this impossible position,” the reporter continued. “The federal government has more levers to use against an institution like Harvard than certainly I had appreciated. If you are persona non grata with Trump, he’s got you by the lapels in a way that is extraordinary. And Harvard is feeling it.”

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Schmidt said that privately, Harvard is feeling the heat. “Harvard officials have privately determined they are in a major, major, major crisis with very few, if any, good off ramps,” he said.

Last year, Harvard President Claudine Gay resigned following congressional questioning over her handling of antisemitism on campus. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) blasted Harvard, and Gay specifically, for allowing the targeting of Jewish students.

“[Gay] failed to stand up for Jewish students on campus who have been facing antisemitic attacks, who have been facing physical assault,” Stefanik said in January 2024. “We’ve seen that footage. We’ve heard that directly from students on campus. We’ve also heard faculty concerns about her tenure, and her position, and her lack of academic integrity. But it really goes back to protecting Jewish students. And, frankly, when it comes to Harvard, the only time that Harvard has pled for academic freedom or freedom of speech was when it comes to the genocide of the Jewish people. That is inherently unfit for a person to be president of a university.”

Related: Elise Stefanik Says Harvard Siding With ‘Those Who Hate Jewish Students’ In Scathing Letter