Trump’s $400 million showdown with Columbia won’t fix US universities

The Trump administration announced earlier this month that it would revoke $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University, punishing the school for allegedly allowing antisemitism to flourish on campus and failing to protect Jewish students. 

The administration sent a letter to the university’s interim president outlining actions the university must take “as a precondition for formal negotiations regarding Columbia University’s continued financial relationship with the United States government.” The demands included banning masks that conceal identity and empowering law enforcement to deal with agitators on campus. 

Columbia’s decision to cave to Trump’s demands, which some described as an attempt to “destroy” the school, sparked campus protests. But it earned a pat on the head from federal authorities who, on Tuesday, described Columbia’s compliance

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