‘Harvard has set an example’: Obama condemns Trump’s $2.3 billion funding freeze as ‘ham-handed’

“Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions – rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom,” Obama said in a post on X. He added that the university was taking “concrete steps” to ensure an environment of “intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect.”

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

His comments came after Harvard decided to fight the White House’s demands that it crack down on alleged antisemitism and civil rights violations. It is the first major US university to defy pressure from the White House to change its policies.

The Department of Education’s antisemitism task force accused Harvard of promoting “a troubling entitlement mindset” and claimed elite universities were ignoring civil rights laws while accepting federal funds. It also criticised universities for failing to protect Jewish students, saying the “disruption of learning” on campuses was “unacceptable.”

The demands, which are an update from an earlier letter, also include a ban on face coverings—seen as a move targeting pro-Palestinian demonstrators—along with calls to shut down Harvard’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, which the administration claims encourage “snap judgments based on crude race and identity stereotypes.”

Additionally, the government has urged the university to withdraw recognition and funding from any student group that endorses or promotes criminal acts, violence, or harassment, and to fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

Hours after Garber’s public letter defending Harvard’s autonomy, the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal funding to the university.

In his letter, Garber said: “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 standoff comes amid growing political pressure on US universities, many of which have witnessed pro-Palestinian demonstrations since Israel’s war in Gaza began last year. Trump and his Republican allies have accused some campus protesters of supporting Hamas, which the US designates as a terrorist organisation, following the group’s deadly October 7 attack on Israel.

(With inputs from Reuters)