Several high-profile Democrats are praising Harvard University’s decision Monday to reject the Trump administration’s demands for policy changes.
On Friday, the Trump administration sent Harvard a letter requesting a slew of policy changes, including the reversal of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, in exchange for continued federal funding.
Harvard President Alan Garber said Monday that the institution will not implement the demands, which he said “goes beyond the power of the federal government.”
In turn, the Department of Education announced it is freezing $2.2 billion in funding to the Cambridge-based university.
Among the politicians who spoke out in support of Harvard’s decision were former President Barack Obama and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey.
FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators rally on Cambridge Common in a protest organized by the City of Cambridge calling on Harvard leadership to resist interference at the university by the federal government in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. April 12, 2025.
Obama praises Harvard, calls Trump admin’s demands ‘ham-handed’
In a statement late Monday, Obama said he hopes “other institutions follow” Harvard’s lead in rejecting the Trump administration’s crackdown on policies.
“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 make sure all students at Harvard can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect,” he said.
The 44th president earlier this month urged universities around the country to maintain their academic freedom.
“If you are a university, you may have to figure out, are we in fact doing things right? Have we in fact violated our own values, our own code, violated the law in some fashion,” he said on April 3.
“If not, and you’re just being intimidated, well, you should be able to say, that’s why we got this big endowment.”
Obama is a Harvard graduate, having earned his juris doctorate degree from the school in 1991.
Healey: Trump admin’s requests are a ‘brazen attempt to bully schools’
Healey also spoke out in favor of Harvard’s decision Monday.
She said she was extending “congratulations and gratitude” to the university for “standing against the Trump Administration’s brazen attempt to bully schools and weaponize the U.S. Department of Justice under the false pretext of civil rights.”
“We all agree that antisemitism has no place in America and that it should be fought in the workplace, classrooms and everywhere,” she added. “Complying with the Trump Administration’s dangerous demands would have made us all less safe and less free.”
The Massachusetts governor is an alumna of Harvard College. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in government in 1992.
Other Democrats praise Harvard’s rejection of policy changes
Several of Massachusetts’ other Democratic lawmakers also commended Harvard’s decision.
Sen. Ed Markey wrote on social media, “This is how we fight back.”
In a statement, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who was a professor at Harvard, said Trump’s “threats against universities are lawless.”
“Harvard is right to reject the Trump administration’s demands,” the statement said. “I support their efforts to fight back, and I hope more institutions step up to protect academic freedom.”
Melina Khan is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY Network – New England, which serves more than a dozen affiliated publications across New England. She can be reached at MKhan@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Obama among Democrats to praise Harvard for rejecting Trump’s demands