Former US President Barack Obama has commended Harvard University’s choice to stand against the White House’s requests for policy changes or risk losing federal funding, marking his first social media critique of the Trump administration since Inauguration Day.
President Donald Trump has put on hold over $2 billion in federal financial support for Harvard due to the university’s unwillingness to modify its hiring, admissions, and teaching practices, which his administration claims are essential to combating antisemitism on campus.
Obama, a Harvard graduate, referred to the funding freeze as “unlawful and ham-handed.” He urged other educational institutions to emulate Harvard’s decision and resist Trump’s demands.
Many US universities depend on some form of federal funding, typically allocated for scientific research in fields like drug development.
Since Trump assumed office in January, prestigious institutions such as Stanford University have been forced to halt hiring and reduce budgets due to dwindling federal financial support.
Some of the funding has been temporarily withheld to encourage universities to adopt measures that the Trump administration contends will combat antisemitism. Trump has accused these institutions of not adequately protecting Jewish students during last year’s campus demonstrations concerning the war in Gaza and US backing for Israel.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has also aligned itself with Harvard by rejecting the Trump administration’s demands.
Despite the backlash, Trump remains resolute. On Tuesday, he targeted Harvard again, threatening to revoke its tax-exempt status.
Universities, along with several charities and religious organisations, benefit from federal income tax exemptions. However, this significant tax exemption may be withdrawn if these groups engage in political activities or stray from their declared missions.
The former president, a Harvard Law School graduate, has seldom criticised government officials or policies on social media since he departed from the White House nearly ten years ago. His posts during the election primarily praised Trump’s opponent, then-Vice President Kamala Harris, and since Inauguration Day, he has shared tributes, personal reflections, and insights on sports.
Obama is among a small group of political figures and university leaders currently denouncing the Trump administration’s efforts to influence the nation’s leading universities by exerting pressure to alter their curricula and hiring practices and threatening to reduce research funding.
A significant number of Yale University faculty members have publicly endorsed Harvard’s decision to reject the Trump administration’s demands.
