Harvard University refused to “come back to the table” after the Ivy League Schools president first had a positive conversation with the Trump administration about cracking down on campus anti-Semitism, Education Secretary Linda McMahon revealed Tuesday.
“We spoke with Harvard President Alan Gerber, who wanted to make sure there was no anti-Semitic behavior happening on campus,” McMahon said the Cats & Cosby Show had held John Cassimatidis and Rita Cosby on WABC Radio.
The Education Secretary didn’t say when the phone conversation with Gerber took place, but it was before Harvard filed a lawsuit Monday to freeze federal grants to the Trump administration for over $2.2 billion.
“We also talked about other aspects of negotiations because there are a lot of outside agitators on campus compared to screening for coming teachers and students coming to Harvard,” McMahon argued.
“We thought we were in a good place,” she added. “We were negotiating and Harvard didn’t return to the table.”
“Their answer was what they pleaded.”
Gerber accused the Trump administration of seeking “unprecedented inappropriate control” over campus operations in order to keep federal funds flowing.
“These actions have harsh realities for patients, students, faculty, staff, researchers, and the status of higher education in America around the world,” Gerber said in a statement released when the lawsuit was filed. “The consequences of government overreach will be serious and long-lasting.”
The Trump administration’s task force on anti-Semitism sent an April 11 email to Harvard University, outlined several policies aimed at closing doubtful anti-Semitism and the diversity and gender programs that agencies must pursue if they want to continue access to federal funds.
“I still hope they’ll come back to the table,” McMahon said of Harvard. “I think it’s for the benefit of the students on their campus and for the taxpayers who fund many of these programs at the university, and they have the right to say how some of that money is being spent and not being used.”
Harvard did not immediately respond to requests to post comments.
The Trump administration has targeted several Ivy League schools as part of its efforts to combat anti-Semitism.
Last month, Columbia University fell into Trump’s demand for reforms in an effort to end the funding freeze.
The Trump administration also suspended approximately $210 million in federal funding to Princeton University while investigating potential anti-Semitism on campus.
McMahon said President Trump “wasn’t going to sit still and see anti-Semitism and actual civil rights being destroyed” on university campus.
“You can’t lock students in the library and hit the glass with signs saying, “Death to America. Death to Israel”… some [colleges] He was pushed back and said, “Well, they’re trying to cut our initial right to fix.” It’s definitely not! This is not a First Amendment issue. This is a civil rights issue and protecting the safety issues of these students on campus,” she added.
