Make Academia Afraid Again

Across the globe, authoritarians target higher education to suppress truth and control the narrative. Trump is no different.

In our last post, we talked about why dictators target humanitarian aid first. The short version: authoritarian regimes thrive on opacity, obedience, and fear. Organizations (like USAID) involved in development work, especially when that work strengthens civic institutions and empowers local communities, are a direct threat to facism.

Now, we’re seeing the same dynamic play out in America’s colleges and universities. And—you guessed it—that’s on purpose.

The Trump Administration's War on Higher Ed

Since returning to power, the Trump administration has escalated its attacks on higher education. These aren’t one-off stunts or isolated grievances. They’re part of a deliberate strategy to discredit independent institutions, stoke resentment, and punish dissent. (Even if they accidentally press “send” on their list of demands a smidge too early—such a boomer mistake.)

In March 2025, Trump threatened to pull billions in federal funding from Columbia University over how it handled student protests about Israel’s war in Gaza. He ultimately slashed $400 million—funds earmarked, among other things, for cancer and COVID-19 research—because the university wouldn’t fully align with his administration’s demands.

Columbia, facing existential funding cuts and intense federal pressure, gave in. It promised to overhaul its student disciplinary system, ban protesters from wearing masks, restrict demonstrations in academic buildings, and place its Middle Eastern Studies program under new supervision requirements. These changes had little to do with the actual protests and everything to do with controlling the narrative.

Then came Harvard. The administration’s list of demands included the elimination of DEI programs, limits on international student admissions, and punishment for protestors. But Harvard pushed back. It refused to let federal funding be used as a leash. And when the administration retaliated by yanking $2 billion in funding and threatening to strip the university of its tax-exempt status, Harvard stood its ground.

In short: Trump flexed. Columbia folded. Harvard called his bluff.

This Isn’t About Protests. It’s About Power.

The administration’s claim to be cracking down on antisemitism is a smokescreen. And student protests aren’t the core issue—they’re a symbol. What’s actually under attack is the idea that universities can remain semi-autonomous spaces where students mobilize, faculty speak freely, and critical thinking isn’t dictated by the White House.

The real threat to the regime isn’t chaos on campus; it’s that campuses are still one of the few places where dissent is organized, opposition is voiced, and power is questioned out loud.

Trump’s Department of Education has even created a task force identifying ten “high-risk” schools for extra scrutiny, including Columbia, Harvard, NYU, Berkeley, UCLA, USC, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, George Washington University, and the University of Minnesota. Coincidentally, every single one is located in a blue state or federal district that voted against Trump in 2024.

This isn’t about protecting students. It’s about politics.

When the Secret Police Start Showing Up

It doesn’t stop at funding cuts. The administration is now targeting international students, particularly those who are educated and vocal.

Take Rumeysa Öztürk, a PhD student at Tufts University, detained without trial or criminal charge. Or Badar Khan Sur, a Georgetown professor accused of spreading Hamas propaganda (a claim without any evidence). Or Mahmoud Khalil, a legal resident and protest leader at Columbia, seized by DHS in a move that looks more like a state kidnapping than lawful arrest.

Have you read Khalil’s op-ed in the Washington Post? In his piece, he points out that the United States has been here before, notably with the internment of 70,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. This chilling comparison makes it explicitly clear why the administration fears people like Khalil.

“…all too often, America has been a democracy of convenience. Rights are granted to those who align with power. For the poor, for people of color, for those who resist injustice, rights are but words written on water.” — Mahmoud Khalil

One of Trump’s demands to Harvard was a full review of international admissions—a policy shift designed to shut out the very people who are most likely to challenge authoritarian power: educated, mobile, and politically engaged thinkers.

Let’s Talk About Hypocrisy for a Second

Let’s take a moment to remember that the Trump administration, which now cries "fraud, waste, and abuse" at the mere mention of an OIG report, is also the proud parent of Trump University. You know, the one that was legally declared an actual scam? The one that defrauded students and had to pay $25 million in settlements? That one.

So if we’re suddenly pretending to be guardians of educational integrity, maybe we need to check where the threat is actually coming from.

It’s not critical race theory or gender studies that threatens American education—or even student protests—it’s the idea that political loyalty should determine what’s taught, who gets to study, and whether free speech exists for everyone, or just a select few.

And let’s not forget: the architects and enforcers of this administration—Trump (UPenn), JD Vance (Yale Law), Pete Hegseth (Princeton), Russell Voight (GWU Law), RFK Jr. (Harvard)—are all graduates of elite universities themselves. They know exactly how powerful these institutions are. That’s why they want to control them.

Why Higher Ed Is a Threat to Authoritarians

Universities aren’t dangerous because of what they teach. They’re dangerous because of what they represent: independent thought, pluralism, history, and hope.

Higher education is where students learn to question power, organize across lines of difference, and imagine alternative futures. Universities are spaces where critical thinking is taught, dissent is debated, history is preserved, and young people learn to question power. That’s always been threatening to strongmen.

Right-wing movements often paint universities as elite echo chambers disconnected from "real" America. But the truth is, it's not elitism that bothers them. It’s the potential for mobilization. The possibility that students might see through propaganda, organize across differences, and act as a political force. Gaza protests, Black Lives Matter organizing, campus journalism, climate advocacy—these aren't threats to the country. They’re threats to authoritarian control.

Around the world, we’ve seen what comes next. Viktor Orbán drove Central European University out of Hungary. Erdoğan purged thousands of Turkish academics. Brazil’s Bolsonaro slashed education funding. And in Russia, academic independence has become nearly extinct.

The tactics vary, but the goals are always the same: suppress dissent, erase opposition, and consolidate control.

A Threat to America’s Future

Trump’s attack on higher education isn’t just a threat to free speech and academic integrity. This assault affects every American who takes medicine, uses a computer, or flips on a light switch.

Universities drive major advances in technology and medicine. That’s why they receive so much federal research funding—because that’s where the experts are, where the labs are, where the breakthroughs happen.

Free markets can’t solve problems that aren’t necessarily profitable, like curing rare diseases or preparing for future pandemics. That’s where public research funding steps in, for the good of us all.

By politicizing that funding and threatening to cut it off unless universities toe the political line, the Trump administration isn’t just punishing dissent. It’s sabotaging America’s scientific future. Want the next vaccine? A climate breakthrough? Good luck, when researchers are silenced or flee the country for fear of being disappeared, simply because of where they were born.

Part of a larger strategy

What starts with higher education rarely ends there. When authoritarians clamp down on universities, it’s a sign that broader civil society is at risk. The press. The courts. Local governments. NGOs. Public libraries. Museums. Teachers. Scientists. Historians.

And yes, the administration is already moving into these spheres: mass layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC, and other public health agencies. The Smithsonian has been barred from exhibiting research that Trump claims is “divisive ideology.” The Associated Press has lost White House access. Judges who rule against the administration face impeachment threats.

This is a page straight out of the autocrat playbook. Attack education, along with the press, the courts, nonprofits, and scientists, until there’s no one left to say, “This is not normal.”

This Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

If you’re feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or helpless—that’s by design. Authoritarians count on burnout. For people to think the system’s too broken to fix. For the public to stop paying attention.

But this fight is a marathon, not a sprint. And resistance doesn’t require you to do everything—it just requires you to keep showing up.

Here’s the good news: resistance works. When Harvard stood firm, Columbia followed. Twelve hours after Harvard’s rejection of the administration’s demands, Columbia issued a letter vowing to protect its independence, too.

Courage is contagious.

So what can you do?

• Support academic freedom

• Donate to legal defense funds for students and faculty under attack

• Speak out when universities are targeted for political reasons

• Celebrate institutions that stand their ground

• Share independent journalism

• Stay connected to others who care

• Rest when you need to—and then get back in the fight

This isn’t just about Harvard or Columbia. It’s about whether we want to live in a country where power goes unchecked and truth is whatever the president says it is.

The world is scary right now. But silence makes it worse. So keep caring. Keep paying attention. And above all—keep showing up.

We need you.