Harvard President Takes Serious Swipe At Trump Without Saying His Name At Commencement
Alan Garber got a massive ovation from thousands of graduates in attendance and reportedly upset the White House in the process.
Harvard University President Alan Garber took a not-so-subtle jab at President Donald Trump on Thursday as his administration continues to pile on its attacks toward the Ivy League institution.
Garber, who has previously ripped the administration’s “perplexing” approach to federal funding cuts, used his welcoming remarks at the university’s commencement ceremony to knock Trump without saying his name.
“Members of the class of 2025 from down the street, across the country, and around the world,” said Garber, who was initially met with a minute-long wave of cheers and applause when he graced the stage.
He went on to stress, “Around the world, just as it should be.”
His comments, which got a roaring ovation from the thousands of graduates and Harvard community members in attendance, appeared to be a swipe at the Trump administration’s push to bar the university from enrolling international students, a plan that was blocked by a federal judge.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs extended an order blocking the move she imposed on the administration at a federal court in Boston last week, not from Harvard’s campus.
Garber’s remarks seemingly drew the ire of deputy White House press secretary Harrison Fields, who, in a statement to The Daily Beast, reiterated one of the pretexts for the administration’s attacks on the Ivy League school.
“The real threat to higher education comes when places like Harvard let their students’ civil rights get trampled in a spineless attempt to coddle pro-Hamas activists,” Fields said.
“President Trump is standing up for every student denied an education or safe campus because left-wing universities fail to protect their civil rights.”
He continued, “Colleges are hooked on federal cash, and Mr. Garber’s public outbursts only fuel the push to shut off the taxpayer money propping up their institution.”
So far in its fight with Harvard, the White House has frozen billions in federal funding to the university and has reportedly considered canceling all remaining federal contracts with the institution, all while Trump has threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status.
