Obama commends Harvard for rejecting ‘attempt to stifle academic freedom’

Published April 15, 2025 5:40am ET

Former President Barack Obama commended Harvard University on Monday night for rejecting a proposal by the Trump administration.

The Trump administration told Harvard to address a variety of concerns, including antisemitism on its campus, or it would lose federal funding. Lawyers for Harvard told the administration on Monday that the university would not comply. In response, the Trump administration promptly froze over $2 billion in federal grants to the school.