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In 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt warned Americans to “beware of that small group of selfish men who would clip the wings of the American eagle in order to feather their own nests.”
It was a warning that reflected what he saw playing out across the Atlantic: The fascists of Europe disempowering their people and corrupting their national institutions in order to enrich and empower themselves.
Nearly a century after the rise of Hitler, Mussolini, and Franco, Donald Trump is using their same, tried-and-true tactics to corrupt America’s institutions and silence dissent.
LINDA MCMAHON BLASTS HARVARD IN SCATHING LETTER TELLING ELITE UNIVERSITY IT WILL NO LONGER GET FEDERAL GRANTS
Since returning to office, he has claimed the right to evaluate universities’ “viewpoint diversity” — demanding that private institutions subject students and faculty to government “audits” of their personal beliefs.
We can’t treat this rising authoritarianism as a personal quirk or just another feature of our politics. Our republic — the very idea that we should live in a democracy — is facing a grave threat.
Harvard’s president has rightly refused, making clear that “The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.”
That insistence on academic freedom has been met with swift government retaliation.
Trump withheld Congressionally-approved research funding. His administration openly threatened Harvard students’ visas. And he directed the IRS to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status.
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These attacks will disrupt a major economic engine, not just for Massachusetts but for the entire country.
Harvard is an unrivaled leader in lifesaving medical research. Our public investments in those breakthroughs have fueled America’s innovation economy — allowing us to lead the world in bringing academic research to the marketplace.
This retaliation will cost lives, erode our competitive advantage, and prompt a disastrous brain drain — a self-inflicted injury on which our rivals are more than happy to capitalize.
None of that matters to Trump. Obviously.
It’s collateral damage in his larger war to centralize power, enrich himself, and codify his ideas as fact under the law.
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That first goal — centralizing power — is nothing new for Trump. He has long sought to expand his power at the expense of our political institutions: attacking the legitimacy of our elections and politicizing our courts.
The second — self-enrichment — has defined his first 100 days in office. Whether he’s hawking cars at the White House, selling scammy crypto coins, or openly manipulating the stock market, he is enriching himself, his family, and his wealthy donors. All this while the American people and small businesses face skyrocketing costs due to Trump’s tariffs.
But the third goal — using the government’s authority to enforce his version of the truth. That’s what these attacks on Harvard are about. That’s what should scare any American who believes in objective truth, freedom of speech, and the rule of law.
Trump and his allies don’t just want to reshape our political system. They don’t just want to pocket some cash and call it a day. They want to corrupt and seize control of our institutions in order to dictate how Americans learn, what we read, and how we think.
Look at how Trump has altered American society since January.
If universities want to remain tax-exempt, they need to serve as academic arms of the ruling political party.
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If a news network wants to keep its broadcast license, it needs to report stories the way the government wants them reported.
If museums, libraries, and theaters want to stay open, they need to toss out material that may offend the White House.
If law firms want to represent clients with business before the federal government, they need to bribe the president.
If college students want to avoid being disappeared to foreign prisons, they need to keep their political views to themselves.
These actions will not stop at the gates of elite institutions. Your personal freedom of speech and liberty of thought are just as much of a threat to Trump’s power — and he knows it.
We can’t treat this rising authoritarianism as a personal quirk or just another feature of our politics. Our republic — the very idea that we should live in a democracy — is facing a grave threat.
For the vast majority of Americans who believe our national identity is inextricably tied to government of the people, this moment must serve as a call to unprecedented action.
We all have a role to play in defending freedom. Because being an American means suffering no kings.
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