Harvard's president says the school will 'not compromise' with the Trump admin

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

April 23, 2025, 3:27 PM EDT


The head of Harvard University doubled down on his defiance against the Trump administration Wednesday, saying the Ivy League school would not compromise on certain issues despite the federal government’s threat to freeze more than $2 billion in funding.

In an exclusive interview with NBC News' Lester Holt, Harvard President Alan Garber said the school had “no choice” but to fight back against what it believes is federal overreach and an illegal attempt by the government to withhold funding as leverage to control academic decision-making. “We are defending what I believe is one of the most important lynchpins of the American economy and way of life — our universities,” Garber said.

In a letter on April 11, the Trump administration outlined a list of “critical reforms” it wanted Harvard to make to keep $2.2 billion in grants. The reforms included allowing the government to audit who the school hires and admits for at least the next three years. When Harvard rejected the demands, the administration said it would freeze the funding, citing the school’s unwillingness to seriously address antisemitism and the harassment of Jewish students.

Harvard then sued the federal government on Monday to halt the funding freeze. Speaking about the issue for the first time on Wednesday, Garber said the lawsuit was necessary to protect the school’s independence and constitutional rights, as well as the future of higher education in the United States. “We will not compromise on certain issues,” said Garber, the head of Harvard since 2024. “We’ve made that very clear.”

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/harvards-president-says-school-will-not-compromise-trump-admin-rcna202564

[MarineCombatEngineer]

1. If you give an inch to Been A Dick Donald, he'll try to take a mile,

so, no quarter given to the criminal org. currently in the WH.

Good for Harvard and all others who are pushing back against these tyrants.

[JohnSJ]

2. Too bad major news outlets and some prestigious law firms c

couldn’t do the same.

[Pisces]

3. More need to stand up to he bully!!

[Scrivener7]

4. Did you hear that, Columbia?

[bucolic_frolic]

5. Trump should go to Massachusetts and explain himself

Tell us why the government should tell us what to read, how to think, who to support, and how to spend our taxes.

He won't do it. He's too chicken.

We need chicken smilies!

[Cha]

6. This is Brilliant.. So Grateful for Alan Garber & Harvard!

TY BRDS!

[J_William_Ryan]

7. This is the essence of fascism:

to attack and threaten colleges and universities because they appropriately refuse to accommodate the racism, bigotry, and hate of the authoritarian Trump regime.

[Prairie Gates]

8. Trump forgot one thing: the Ivies laugh at Columbia

90% of the motivation of Harvard must be to stick it to Columbia.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. They also laugh at Penn

who they felt was beneath them as one of the lower rung Ivies...

[Prairie Gates]

10. Fa sho

[jfz9580m]

11. Good

Not the biggest fan of Harvard/Stanford/MIT. But that is a good sign. Not good to cave to bullies, ransomware etc ever.

[Karasu]

12. You cannot compromise with fascism. Ever. Yet so much of this country is attempting to do precisely that.

Harvard is absolutely correct. This is their hill to die on and they should spare no quarter.