What's behind Trump's attacks on U.S. universities

For several months, the Trump administration has launched a series of direct attacks against some of the most prestigious universities in the United States, threatening to revoke billions of dollars in public funding allocated to research, especially in science. In return, it demands greater government influence over admission criteria, academic programs, and more broadly the administration of campuses. The most cited reason for these attacks concerns the perception—on the part of Republicans—that many universities have not done enough to prevent episodes of antisemitism linked to protests against the war in the Gaza Strip. However, behind this justification lie political and cultural motives tied to a deeper resentment toward academic institutions, linked to a long history of tension between the U.S. right and the country’s major universities. This conflict is also the result of the growing political polarization in the United States, which is even reflected in educational choices and levels of education among the population. While non-degree holders tend to vote Republican, those with a college degree are more likely to support the Democratic Party.

The gap was evident in the last presidential elections, where Kamala Harris received far more votes than Trump among college-educated voters. What has fueled the recent attacks from the right against the country’s universities is precisely the belief that U.S. campuses are dominated by progressive culture. Republicans have long considered almost all universities in the country to be "left-leaning", accusing them of promoting values and ideologies that conflict with conservative principles. In this context, the notoriously high university tuition fees in the U.S. have been weaponized by Trumpian rhetoric to label universities as wealthy and elite institutions that exploit public funds to promote indoctrination. Naturally, this is an extremely caricatured depiction of the U.S. academic landscape, far from reality. Furthermore, the Trump administration did nothing to address the issue of rising education costs, instead exploiting the issue to fuel its rhetoric. The goal is to delegitimize universities in the eyes of part of the electorate, suggesting that these institutions are now more focused on forming political militants than preparing students for professional careers: a strategy aimed at undermining the credibility of universities and reducing their cultural influence in the country.

Which universities Trump is targeting

Unsurprisingly, attacks on educational institutions have mainly targeted those states that voted Democratic in the last elections. For example, the government suspended $2.2 billion in funding to Harvard, in Massachusetts, in retaliation for its opposition to Trump’s demands; in response, the university filed a lawsuit against the presidential administration, accusing it of violating constitutional rights. Columbia University, on the other hand, after the threat of a $400 million funding cut, chose to comply with the president’s demands. Other prestigious universities have also seen funding reduced: Cornell University, located in New York State, had at least $1 billion cut; Brown University, based in the small state of Rhode Island, saw a reduction of over $500 million in its research budget. Northwestern University, located in Illinois, lost $790 million. The University of Pennsylvania, located in the state of the same name, suffered a $175 million cut, while Princeton University, in New Jersey, saw its funds reduced by $200 million. In addition to these, dozens of other prestigious institutions are under attack, including Berkeley and Johns Hopkins University.