Trump and the Assault on the University

The Trump government’s attacks on American universities are unprecedented for the country and rewrite a societal compact between government and universities that has been in place throughout the postwar period. In April, a large-scale confrontation with Harvard University started, driven by accusations of large-scale Antisemitism that the university allegedly failed to address. Mathias Risse has been outspoken about the events throughout. He offers an analysis of these attacks on Harvard with a focus on the Antisemitism accusations.

Mathias Risse is Berthold Beitz Professor in Human Rights, Global Affairs and Philosophy and Director of the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights, Kennedy School, Harvard University.