Obama Commends Harvard for Upholding Values Against Trump Administration’s ‘Demands’ Amid $2B Funding Freeze – One America News Network
OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
11:52 AM – Tuesday, April 15, 2025
As Harvard University faces a funding suspension due to its alleged inaction regarding antisemitism on campus, former President Barack Obama commended the institution for resisting President Donald Trump’s “demands.”
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The Trump administration revealed that around $2 billion in federal grants for the university will be placed on hold.
“Harvard has set a standard for other higher educational institutions — rejecting a coercive and unlawful effort to suppress academic freedom while taking tangible actions to ensure all students at Harvard benefit from an environment of intellectual exploration, vigorous debate, and mutual respect,” Obama posted on X late Monday. “Let’s hope other institutions take note.”
Nevertheless, Obama, a graduate of Harvard Law School, did not comment on the funding freeze nor the ongoing accusations of widespread antisemitism present on campus.
Moreover, Obama recently expressed concerns—though some critics have labeled them as performative—regarding the White House’s “measures targeting institutions” associated with Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.
“I doubt what we are witnessing regarding economic policy and tariffs will benefit America, but that’s a specific policy. My deeper concern lies with a federal government that intimidates universities if they refuse to relinquish students exercising their free speech rights,” Obama stated, as per a transcript of his remarks.
Additionally, Obama urged academic institutions to stand against what he termed as intimidation tactics.
“If you’re a university, you may have to assess whether you’re genuinely aligning with your values and your legal obligations. If not and you’re merely facing intimidation, you should be able to stand firm, drawing on that significant endowment,” Obama articulated, according to the transcript.
“We’ll support our convictions and temporarily divert funds from our endowment to finance our researchers, and we can forgo the additional wing or upscale gymnasium — delaying such projects for a few years may be necessary to safeguard academic freedom,” he added.
Furthermore, Trump announced early Tuesday that Harvard’s “tax-exempt status” should be revoked after the university declined to meet various stipulations related to discrimination and sympathizing with Islamist extremist groups set by the Trump administration.
In recent years, numerous Ivy League professors have been accused of promoting and sympathizing with terrorist groups and communism or socialism while criticizing the Israeli government and traditional Christian values.
“Maybe Harvard should forfeit its Tax Exempt Status and be taxed as a Political Entity if it continues promoting political, ideological, and terrorist-inspired ‘Sickness?’ Remember, Tax Exempt Status hinges on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
As an educational institution, Harvard University is currently exempt from federal income tax and has stated it is not subject to Massachusetts’ state income tax either.
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