Can Harvard survive Trump’s authoritarian assault? Article by Foriegn Policy

US President Donald Trump’s recent attacks on Harvard University under the pretext of promoting “viewpoint diversity” reveal a deeper agenda: to erode academic freedom and silence dissent.

By canceling all federal grants to Harvard and attempting to bar it from hosting international students, the Trump administration is bullying one of America’s most prestigious institutions. Harvard’s resistance, including legal victories, has so far kept some authoritarian measures at bay, but recent reports suggest the university may be inching toward partial capitulation, Foreign Policy writes in its argument.

If Harvard is to uphold its core principles, it cannot yield to these pressures. The university must be prepared to endure the consequences of courage. The authors of the argument, professors in Hungary and Poland, countries that have faced similar populist-authoritarian assaults, write drawing from their own experinces, saying that the only viable strategy for long-term survival may be to relocate part of its operations to more hospitable environments. For Harvard, such a move abroad could safeguard its values and bolster its global standing.

Trump’s “viewpoint diversity” rhetoric mirrors tactics employed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Poland’s Law and Justice (PiS) party, both of which have systematically attacked independent institutions like courts, media, and universities. Universities pose a unique threat to right-wing populists by exposing the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of their agendas.

The ‘viewpoint diversity’ that Trump demands of Harvard is unachievable—not because of any inherent leftist bias at the university, but because key tenets of the administration’s worldview cannot hold up to serious academic scrutiny.

Climate change denial, anti-vaccine rhetoric, and policies fast-tracking white Afrikaner migrants while rejecting Black and brown refugees are not valid scientific or ethical positions. Nor can any credible legal doctrine justify Israel’s conduct in Gaza or Trump’s threats to annex territory by force. No honest reading of US history can ignore its deep entanglement with racism, the article states.

Trump understands that much of his agenda lacks intellectual legitimacy but also recognises the power of universities to legitimise authority. History shows how even scientific institutions have supported unjust regimes, from Nazi Germany to America’s legacy of exclusion.

According to the authors, Trump and his allies have drawn a powerful lesson from history: academic prestige can not only legitimise unjust power, but also transform dominant social norms.

In Poland, the PiS government centralised academic governance and skewed funding toward ideologically aligned institutions, manipulating journal rankings and promotions to reinforce its agenda. Unlike Poland’s relatively flat university system, US academia centers around powerful private institutions like Harvard. This makes Trump’s attacks closer in nature to Hungary’s assault on the Central European University (CEU), which was ultimately forced into exile in Vienna.

CEU’s expulsion demonstrates how relentless authoritarianism can uproot even the most influential academic institutions. Harvard faces similar risks, especially if Trump’s ideology continues through successors like J.D. Vance. The university’s prominence makes it a prime target for populists seeking to reshape cultural and intellectual norms. Even if Harvard wins legal battles or negotiates compromises, it will still face bureaucratic harassment, funding freezes, and policies that deter top talent.

The CEU experience shows exile is painful and disruptive but can also bring new opportunities. CEU now enjoys a diverse faculty and a more welcoming environment in Vienna. Harvard, with vastly greater resources and global renown, could thrive abroad—partial relocation need not mean abandoning its Cambridge campus.

Harvard’s predicament is a warning: there will be no return to a liberal “comfort zone.” Facing a rising far right with radical mass appeal, universities and liberals alike must be ready for disruption and sacrifice. Harvard’s fight is not just for itself but for the future of academic freedom in America.

By Sabina Mammadli