As demonstrators accuse Trump of undermining universities, he calls Harvard 'a disgrace'

By Nathan Frandino

BERKELEY, California (Reuters) -Hundreds of students, module and assemblage members connected a California field booed connected Thursday arsenic speakers accused the medication of President Donald Trump of undermining American universities, arsenic helium questioned whether Harvard and others merit tax-exempt status.

The protestation connected the University of California's Berkeley field was among events dubbed "Rally for the Right to Learn!" planned crossed the country.

The medication has rebuked American universities implicit their handling of pro-Palestinian pupil protests that roiled campuses from Columbia successful New York to Berkeley past year, pursuing the 2023 Hamas-led onslaught wrong Israel and the consequent Israeli attacks connected Gaza.

Trump has called the protests anti-American and antisemitic and accused universities of peddling Marxism and "radical left" ideology. On Thursday, helium called Harvard, an instauration helium criticized repeatedly this week, "a disgrace," and besides criticized others.

Asked astir reports the Internal Revenue Service was readying to region Harvard's tax-exempt status, Trump told reporters astatine the White House helium did not deliberation a last ruling had been made, and indicated different schools were nether scrutiny.

Trump had said successful a societal media station connected Tuesday helium was mulling whether to question to extremity Harvard's tax-exempt presumption if it continued pushing what helium called "political, ideological, and violent inspired/supporting 'Sickness?'"

"I'm not progressive successful it," helium said, saying the substance was being handled by lawyers. "I work astir it conscionable similar you did, but tax-exempt status, I mean, it's a privilege. It's truly a privilege, and it's been abused by a batch much than Harvard."

"When you instrumentality a look whether it's Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, I don't cognize what's going on, but erstwhile you spot however severely they've acted and successful different ways also. So we'll, we'll beryllium looking astatine it precise strongly."

At Berkeley connected Thursday, protesters raised signs proclaiming “Education is simply a nationalist good!” and "Hands disconnected our escaped speech!" Robert Reich, a nationalist argumentation professor, compared the responses of Harvard and Columbia to demands from the medication that they instrumentality specified steps arsenic ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs and putting world departments nether extracurricular control.

Harvard President Alan Garber, successful a missive connected Monday, rejected specified demands arsenic unprecedented "assertions of power, unmoored from the law" that violated law escaped code and the Civil Rights Act.

Columbia had earlier agreed to negotiations aft the Trump medication said past period it had terminated grants and contracts worthy $400 million, mostly for aesculapian and different technological research. After speechmaking the Harvard president's letter, Columbia's interim President Claire Shipman, said her assemblage would proceed "good religion discussions" with the administration, but "would cull immoderate statement successful which the authorities dictates what we teach, research, oregon who we hire."

“Columbia University tried to appease a tyrant. It didn’t work," Berkeley's Reich said connected the steps of Sproul Hall astatine the bosom of the university’s campus.

”After Harvard stood up to the tyrant, Columbia, who had been surrendering, stood up and said no.”

After Harvard's Garber released his missive connected Monday, the Trump medication said it was freezing $2.3 cardinal successful backing to the university. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced connected Wednesday the termination of 2 DHS grants totaling much than $2.7 cardinal to Harvard and said the assemblage would suffer its quality to enroll overseas students if it does not conscionable demands to stock accusation connected immoderate visa holders.

In response, a Harvard spokesperson said the assemblage stood by its earlier connection to "not surrender its independency oregon relinquish its law rights," portion saying it volition comply with the law.

CNN was archetypal to study connected Wednesday the IRS was making plans to rescind Harvard's tax-exempt presumption and that a last determination was expected soon.

Harvard said determination was nary ineligible ground to rescind it, saying specified an enactment volition beryllium unprecedented, volition diminish its fiscal assistance for students and volition pb to abandonment of immoderate captious aesculapian probe programs.

Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, said "any forthcoming actions by the IRS are conducted independently of the President, and investigations into immoderate institution’s violations of their taxation presumption were initiated anterior to the President’s TRUTH."

Under national instrumentality the president cannot petition that the IRS, which determines whether an enactment tin person oregon support tax-exempt status, analyse organizations.

(Nathan Frandino reported from Berkeley, California. Additional reporting from Trevor Hunnicutt and Steve Holland successful Washington and Rich McKay successful Atlanta. Editing by Donna Bryson and Rod Nickel)