‘This university will not surrender’: Harvard stands firm against Trump takeover and is denied billions of dollars in funding

Harvard University has a hard-won reputation as one of the finest learning institutions in the world. Founded in 1636, it developed into an all-time prestigious university with a ludicrous number of prominent alumni.

Now it’s under threat like never before. Harvard is squarely within the crosshairs of the Trump administration, which is yelling that its tolerance of pro-Palestinian protests and promotion of diversity must end immediately.

Among other things, the Trump administration demanded a campus ban on COVID face masks, the immediately closure of the university’s diversity programmes, that when asked they surrender any student to ICE for indefinite imprisonment, and that the university ban “any student group or club that endorses or promotes criminal activity, illegal violence, or illegal harassment” (what that constitutes will, of course, be decided by MAGA).

The consequences for refusing to comply with these quite frankly fascistic demands are steep. $2.2 billion in government grants and $60 million in contracts were on the line for Harvard. Faced with that, many institutions would have waved the white flag. Well, to their credit, Harvard has stood firm:

The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government. https://t.co/5k5t9RYYC2

— Harvard University (@Harvard) April 14, 2025

Harvard Law graduate Barack Obama has stepped in to praise the university for its stance, describing Trump’s actions as an “unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom.”

Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions – rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking concrete steps to make sure all students at Harvard can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and… https://t.co/gAu9UUqgjF

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 15, 2025

Without wanting to get all Godwin’s law here, Trump’s attempted ideological clampdown on what is allowed to be discussed, taught, and tolerated at universities is worryingly similar to Hitler’s attitude toward German universities from 1933 onwards.

Like Trump, Hitler demanded that certain topics be forbidden from being taught, said that specific students needed to be excluded based on their philosophy or politics, and universities were forced to comply with government ideology or face being shut down. Nazi Germany is by no means the only comparison to make, but across 20th century history it’s never a good thing when the government brutally enforces their ideology in higher education.

But the Trump administration won’t just deny Harvard funding and stop fighting. Expect this to be merely the first salvo in a long, drawn-out, and expensive battle involving multiple frivolous court cases, dishonest actors disrupting campus life, and online campaigns targeted at specific members of staff and students. Here’s hoping Harvard has the guts to fight this war for the next four years.