Barack Obama has voiced his discontent at the Trump administration once more after the president got into a row with Harvard University
There’s no doubt that Barack Obama is not Donald Trump’s biggest fan, but the former president’s most recent dig at the White House’s current occupant is the most brutal yet.
The 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, has long stood on the opposite end of the political spectrum from Republican leader Donald Trump — so it’s no shock that he’s been openly critical of Trump’s policies on numerous occasions.
Speaking at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, earlier this month, Obama didn’t hold back:
“I have deep differences of opinion with my most immediate successor — who’s now president once again,” he remarked, drawing a ripple of reaction from the crowd. He went on to highlight concerns about the current administration, saying, “There are a host of policies that we could be discussing where I have strong opinions,” and emphasized that the government’s commitment to core democratic principles has, in his view, “eroded.”
Since Obama’s fiery remarks, tensions between the federal government and elite academic institutions have escalated — and fast. In a dramatic move, the Department of Education has frozen a staggering $2.3 billion in federal funding to Harvard University after the Ivy League school flatly rejected a set of sweeping demands issued by the Trump administration.
According to the White House, the directives — outlined in a letter sent to Harvard last week — were framed as efforts to combat antisemitism on campus. However, the proposals went far beyond hate speech policies, calling for major overhauls in hiring practices, admissions processes, and academic instruction. In effect, Harvard would have relinquished significant autonomy to the federal government had it agreed. Among the mandates: full transparency with federal regulators, and an immediate shutdown of all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs — regardless of how they’re named or structured.
Harvard pushed back on Monday, April 14, rejecting the administration’s demands and accusing the White House of attempting a hostile takeover of the university and its academic freedoms.
“While some of the government’s demands appear to target antisemitism, the bulk of them amount to a direct attempt to control the intellectual environment at Harvard,” said University President Alan Garber in a strongly worded statement.
And now, former President Obama has entered the fray — taking sharp aim at Trump in the process. His latest comments signal not only a defense of higher education independence but a scathing critique of what he sees as an alarming overreach by his successor.
Former President Barack Obama has stepped into the growing clash between the Trump administration and Harvard University, voicing strong support for the institution’s defiant stance against what many are calling a blatant political power play.
Taking to Twitter, Obama praised the university’s decision to reject the federal government’s demands:
“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. Let’s hope other institutions follow suit.”
The Trump administration’s controversial letter to Harvard had outlined sweeping changes under the banner of fighting antisemitism. These included eliminating all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, enforcing ‘merit-based’ hiring and admissions policies, and even banning the use of face masks on campus — a move widely seen as a direct response to pro-Palestinian student protests.
Harvard firmly rejected the proposals on April 14, stating the administration was attempting to assert “control over teaching and learning at Harvard” through “assertions of power, unmoored from the law.”
In a biting rebuttal, the Department of Education accused the university of embodying what it called “the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges.”
Despite this, Harvard maintains that it is actively working to combat antisemitism on campus — but on its own terms. University President Alan Garber emphasized that while the school is committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful academic environment, it will not compromise its intellectual independence under political pressure.
With Obama’s public endorsement, Harvard’s pushback is now more than just an institutional stance — it’s becoming a national flashpoint in the ongoing battle over free speech, academic autonomy, and the role of government in education.
