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President Trump has indicated he will cut federal funding to universities that fail to adequately address antisemitism on campus.
Let’s get into it: In an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, President Trump doubled down on his intent to take aggressive action against universities he believes tolerate antisemitism. He stated, “Sometimes it is out of control, and sometimes you don’t see it, it’s not so obvious,” referring to antisemitic behavior on campuses. Specifically citing Harvard, he said, “With Harvard, it was very obvious. You look at it, totally antisemitic.” When asked by Hewitt whether he would advocate for revoking the tax-exempt status of every university where antisemitism is “out of control,” Trump responded, “I think so, yes.”
Trump also used the interview to criticize the ideological makeup of faculty at elite institutions, saying, “You look at Harvard, it’s only 3 percent of the faculty is conservative. It’s disgraceful.” He reiterated his stance that pulling tax benefits and federal funding is a justified response, adding, “It’s what they deserve.” These remarks reflect the administration’s broader strategy to exert political and financial pressure on academic institutions that fail to meet its standards on campus speech and protest oversight.
This all comes as some universities that have lost funding are already feeling the impact through widespread layoffs and institutional restructuring. Columbia University announced that roughly one in five staff members supported by the defunded grants have been told their positions won’t be renewed. The university is also scaling back critical research projects, including health-related studies on pandemic recovery, women’s health, neonatal care, and cancer detection. In a statement, Columbia acknowledged the difficulty of the decision, stating, “Those decisions also impact our greatest resource, our people. We understand this news will be hard.”
At Harvard’s School of Public Health (HSPH), the situation is also dire. The school, which relies heavily on federal funding—making up 46% of its 2025 revenue—has already begun laying off researchers and staff tied to projects that lost financial support. In an interview with their school newspaper, HSPH spokesperson Stephanie Simon described the situation as a “significant budget crisis” and confirmed that “unfortunately, this will lead to layoffs.”
