U.S. President Donald Trump is pressuring Harvard University over anti-Semitism, with reports that major universities in the U.S. are engaging in quiet contacts with the White House to avoid this.
According to CNN on the 31st (local time), senior officials from some U.S. universities have been in contact with the White House in recent weeks to discuss what signals they should send to avoid being targeted by the Trump administration.
They have been having detailed discussions with May Mailman, a senior policy strategist at the White House, over the past few weeks. Mailman is closely working with Stephen Miller, the White House Deputy Director of Policy. Miller has designed a pressure strategy, arguing that universities are not adequately responding to anti-Semitic remarks and protests on campus.
The White House holds the position that universities are hotbeds of discrimination and that U.S. taxpayers cannot support this, telling university leaders, “Funding cannot flow as before.”
One official said, “The White House is demanding similar agreements from universities, just as law firms have entered into agreements to distance themselves from DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs or anti-Semitic protests.”
A White House official told CNN, “We will not cooperate with universities that make promises verbally without taking substantial actions,” adding, “Many schools want to negotiate, and the president is ready to work with them.”
This movement is led by the anti-Semitism task force (TF) within the Department of Justice. The TF is headed by Leo Terrell, a former Fox News host and senior adviser to the Department of Justice. Miller and Mailman also play leading roles in the TF’s decision-making.
However, no universities have stepped up to enter into such agreements with the Trump administration yet.
A director from a prestigious university noted, “We are not interested in becoming their ‘model school,’” adding, “As long as we do not make a decision to compromise our core values, there is absolutely no need to fight with the administration. If it comes to that, we are ready to fight, but that doesn’t mean we need to provoke the administration.”
Some universities are hiring political consultants and experts. In the case of Harvard, they are reportedly establishing an aggressive legal strategy and organizing their alumni network.