Former President Barack Obama has praised Harvard University for standing firm against what he called an “unlawful and ham-handed” attempt by the Trump administration to suppress academic freedom, amid a federal funding freeze over the university’s alleged inaction on antisemitism.
“Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions — rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking concrete steps to ensure all students can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate, and mutual respect,” Obama wrote on X Monday night. “Let’s hope other institutions follow suit.”
His comments followed Harvard’s announcement earlier Monday that it would not comply with a list of demands issued by the Trump administration. Hours later, the administration’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism said it would freeze billions of dollars in federal funding to the university.
Harvard, which has pledged to combat antisemitism and foster a more inclusive campus, reiterated its commitment to creating a welcoming academic environment.
Obama, a Harvard Law School alumnus, did not directly address the funding freeze in his statement.
Former President Barack Obama voiced deep concern over recent actions by the Trump administration targeting universities, warning that federal efforts to pressure higher education institutions pose a threat to academic freedom and free speech.
Speaking at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, Obama criticized the administration’s approach, which has included economic threats and funding freezes for schools accused of tolerating antisemitism.
“I don’t think what we just witnessed in terms of economic policy and tariffs is going to be good for America, but that’s a specific policy,” Obama said, according to a transcript of his remarks. “I’m more deeply concerned with a federal government that threatens universities if they don’t give up students who are exercising their right to free speech.”
He urged institutions not to cave to what he described as intimidation tactics.
“If you are a university, you may have to figure out: Are we in fact doing things right? Have we violated our own values, our own code, violated the law in some fashion? If not, and you’re just being intimidated, well, you should be able to say, that’s why we got this big endowment,” he said.
“We’ll stand up for what we believe in, and we’ll pay our researchers for a while out of that endowment, and we’ll give up the extra wing or the fancy gymnasium — we can delay that for a couple of years because academic freedom might be a little more important,” Obama added.
The former president’s comments come as Harvard University faces a multibillion-dollar funding freeze after refusing to comply with a series of demands from the Trump administration, which has accused the school of failing to adequately address antisemitism on campus.
In a separate post on X Monday evening, Obama praised Harvard’s response, saying the university had “set an example” by defending academic freedom while committing to fostering a respectful, inclusive environment.
Trump, on Tuesday morning, called for Harvard to lose its tax-exempt status after the university said it would not comply with the Trump administration’s series of demands.
“Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’ Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform.
Harvard University is exempt from federal income tax because it is an educational institution. It is also exempt from Massachusetts state income tax, according to the university.
Asked during a press briefing on Tuesday about former President Trump’s call for Harvard to lose its tax-exempt status, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the president has been “quite clear they must follow federal law.”
“He also wants to see Harvard apologize — and Harvard should apologize — for the egregious antisemitism that occurred on their campus against Jewish American students,” Leavitt added, while deferring to the IRS for any updates regarding the university’s tax-exempt status.
Leavitt further claimed that the university has not taken the administration’s demands seriously, responding to a question about a possible freeze on federal funding.
“All the president is asking is: don’t break federal law, and then you can have your federal funding,” she said.
ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh, Peter Charalambous, Selina Wang, and Arthur Jones II contributed to this report.
