Poll Results and Comments : Trump vs. Harvard

Author

Anna Eisenberg
April 17, 2025

Anna's Daybreak News

Just facts, you think for yourself

Who's position do you favor in this situation?


  • 67% Harvard
  • 28% President Trump
  • 5% Neither

EmailComments
jton...This thug of a president should sit in a corner with a dunce cap on.
geof...It’s another part of Trump’s “revenge crusade”.
elpi...The President has no business dictating to universities what they can and cannot teach. This is governance by blackmail.
edsc...Trump is a bully. If you don't adhere to his demands, however outlandish, you are punished. What happened to free speech? Trump violates the constitution every day.
sead...Its time someone stood up to the traitor and said NO.
bste...Follow the law.
sueb...Why is Harvard tax exempt?
grac...This has to be fair. If Trump is going to cite political ideologies as his reason, he has to look at ALL the other nonprofits who promote political agendas
fxva...Those schools have too much money and power.
biag...American universities have atracted young people looking for knowledge and technical skills. It is also a form of expanding american culture worlwide. This Trump person is throwing it all away. It is awesome that a person with such a bad life history can do such damage to the people, the economy, the culture and knowledge of such a great country! Relieved that Harvard didn’t bend to him. If necessary I will donate to Harvard…
cjma...Trump is a bully and trying to blackmail Harvard into doing his bidding — Trump just wants people to bend their knee to his absurdity
greg...Trump is is a moron
twss...Trump is on a power trip.He is a vindictive moron who needs to be reigned in.
chri...As a Columbia alum active in student organizations I have seen the horrors of the cultural revolution-like atmosphere that the neo-Marxists have fostered. A tough stance is needed to refocus schools on education.
pbma...This is so ridiculous. He's a very scary guy
jlim...Where’s the meat!
sfst...I don’t like how Harvard handled protests last year but this is a private institution for education and research, Trump is not King, he should not be able to control a private institution.
paul...Trump has got to go
jean...Harvard should share admission data
jmla...So Trump, a convicted criminal (for business fraud) creates a fraudulent university and rips his unwitting students off for millions in tuition and pays 25 million to settle one of his thousands of lawsuits. Now he wants a real educational institution to lose its tax exemption because everybody there is 10 times smarter than him! Typical megalomaniac Moron! And Republicans put him in charge of the country? Just to wreak generational havoc on unsuspecting millions of Americans. Now that is some evil stupid!
jfre...All dictators try to silence academia. Whatever the method the goal is the same
joll...Zionism is Antisemitism! The IDF is a terrorist organization. Devout Jews with humanitarian values are suffering from the actions of the extremist racist jewish groups, such as the Zionists and their propaganda and monetary control of the US government!
trag...Harvard is a private institution of higher learning. The Trump Administration made unrealistic, unwarranted demands that essentially gave control to government. Trump claims to do this in the name of antisemitism when it is really the unleashing of his own vendettas. When Harvard declined he upped the financial consequences - again serving his increasing vendetta. This is clearly revenge and is yet another example of behavior that is anything but presidential. It smacks of bullying and dictatorship. It is not helping Harvard, certainly not the Jewish population and all of us will suffer from the ramifications of withdrawn funding for vital medical research.
rpfa...My position is more financial than ideological. I don't see why taxpayers should support an institution that has a $53 billion endowment and charges $80,000 per year to attend. I would support some federal funding for very narrowly focused medical research, such as cancer prevention.
marc...It isn't American for the federal government to tell a private college what to do and then when they say they are not going to do as told to seek retribution. And to tell the IRS to do this the president is breaking a federal law!
kova...Harvard represents the thinking of the Elite not the citizens that are middle class working Americans. Much of the tax money they are accepting is coming from working middle class.
cb10...Trump should not be allowed to do this.
mich...Tax exempt status is not dependent on presidential favor. Tax exempt meets IRS tax code requirements. That idiot Trump doesn’t understand that he is not a king. Dumb President!!!!
kimb...Who are the members of the broken 30.3% that are supporting TFG?
tubi...trump should show his taxes for the last 10 years, as a show of good faith.
join...First we got suppression of free speech from the left; now we're getting it from the right.
dtay...Trump is way off base on this one.
erwi...This is clearly an abuse and corruption of Presidential power pressuring a private educational institution..The media like CNN AND MNBC will be the next target. These are clear signs dictatorship.
momo...Harvard has integrity; Trump has psychopathy
puge...Following Hitler’s game plan.
mbul...Trump has no authority to revoke tax exempt status.
wagr...I think Powell should keep his opinions to himself
cape...Trump has no business under law and the facts for the IRS to revoke it tax exemption
mary...Trump is just trying to bully the world into bending to his every demand, even if those demands are violations of the constitution. The truth is, he doesn’t care about the first amendment unless it is his rhetoric he is trying to protect.
atli...If institutions like Harvard do not stand against Trump's illegal attempts to stifle free speech all hope of democracy are gone and fascism is assured. This is the fight of our lives.
ange...unacceptable. autocracy. authoritarianism
albe...It is the hypocrisy of Harvard. You can't promote genocide of any race except jews. You can't be racist of any race except whites and jews. Hypocrisy
becc...Democracy is being ok with other view points and freedom of expression. Fascism is forcible suppression of opposition and subordination of individual rights for the perceived greater good and ruling society and the economy with an iron fist. My family survived one Holocaust not to be subjected to another on American soil. Harvard is standing up against that force, something far too many failed to do before WWII.
pamm...The federal government should not be able to dictate curriculum, diversity or hiring practices at universities. We are headed for a tyrannical state with a mad man in charge.
kath...He is overstepping his boundaries, and he needs to be stopped
rsle...IF Harvard loses its tax status then ALL private universities will have to lose theirs based on TAX Criteria not on whether they follow presidential whims.
sara...Harvard could do a better job of including all viewpoints for students and programs but free speech is free speech.
karl...Trump has continued to overstep his authority!
nfbu...This is pure bullying
tood...Don’t think govt should subsidize private colleges
nanc...I applaud Harvard for standing up to Trump and hope more will follow!
trac...Trump is acting like a bully to push his agenda, regardless of the logic.
bkle...Trump needs to get his corrupt fingers off the throats of independent institutions. He's using it for political purposes and to get his crony tax cuts through Congress. What a bully!
doca...This is a strong-arm attack on free speech. Censorship.
star...If they owe taxes on their business and property... haulting federal funding makes complete sense. If a student didn't have the resources to pay forntuition they'd hault their education.
suza...There is no place in Universities for POLITUCS- EVER- Fascism
cwil...I'm not sure any of us should be paying taxes to this government. I think Free States (Blue States?) should set up escrow accounts for citizens and organizations to pay into until such time as the US government re-discovers the Constitution and the rule of law.
jule...I actually would like to see the government revoke that IRS statute for Harvard because if it goes to court in the Supreme Court rules that’s appropriate for politically engaged entities think how much tax dollars we’re gonna get from all these fucking mega churches hallelujah I want to drive Joel Osteen‘s Ferrari around the block a few times before we confiscate it for taxation. Praise the lord
band...Given that so many religious organizations also get tax exemptions and are very clearly also pushing political agendas they should also have exemption revoked. There is no push to do “that” since the current administration has benefited from religious political endorsements
kim1...Harvard is not a private institution, as long as it requires public funding.
tomg...If this happens, the outcome will be higher tuition. Like we need that.
fcse...This would be a terrible precedent. America has thrived with charitable contributions to tax-free charitable and educational institutions. Each year I make tax-deductible contributions to all my previous schools, all of which were private.
puck...I am worried the government is overreaching and trying to control our entire education.
cmic...How could 28% of your readership be so stupid?
sy_o...Places of Education should not allow any minority to being harassed by their faculty or other groups and other minorities that are creating problems for other students.Should not make any difference if students are from another Country or not Tolerance should be taught as well as great education no one should be a victim.
kpet...Wrong
jhck...Trump is way over the top in trying to regulate a private university and gain access to information about students lawfully admitted to the US. This is both a 1st amendment issue and a violation of tax law policies and procedures. A tax exemption cannot lawfully be revoked unless the tax exempt party has violated the terms of the exemption. There is no evidence that Harvard has done so.
patr...Trump should stay out of private schools and stop acting like Hitler!!
ebr....Keep it up, Harvard! Good on them for not bowing to the bully.
cimm...Harvard has become too far left. They should be in the center, teach, educate & let the students think & express for themselves.
dole...Trump wants to destroy democracy.
rabu...Trump has n grounds to do this. We do not live in a dictatorship.
mkj7...Free Speech is most important
ayo....This is a shake down
jeff...It’s not political ideology. It’s DEI- humanity. This news is slanted.
tcor...I’m so proud of Harvard standing up against the Trump regime!
wren...Colleges and Universities are places to learn whether in the classroom, research lab or dorm. Anything that restrains learning, and thought is detrimental to all aspects of life. Should we regulate the curriculum at Hillsdale College, Oral Roberts University and Liberty University? The answer is no.
susa...Our right to free speech matters in spite of Trump’s grab for a dictatorship. Or maybe it matters more because of it.
mark...King Trump is going after all American institutions except the monarchy.
shoe...it’s about freedom of speech.
mich...The federal government has no right to tell any university how it should be run.
cica...President Trump‘s position is the unlawful one. Of course Donald Trump is a walking crime scene. He’s also emotionally damaged and mentally ill. We are a nation of laws and the rule of law. Without the rule of law, you have just another autocracy. Autocracy is basically chaos, organized by one individual and supported by an army of violent psychopaths.
chri...Looks like Harvard is dependent on our taxpayer dollars to operate. If they want to be truly independent of they should give the money the taxpayers our money back. They should also pay taxes like the rest of us.
mars...we need an independent university system
jay....All organizations are political to some extent. The Catholic Church works against abortion, so should a future liberal government take away its tax status as a religious organization? If Trump’s maneuver is declared legal, then all nonprofits are in jeopardy. But only someone like Trump would stoop so low. Democrats defend all free speech, even stuff they disagree with. This maneuver by Trump is just a form of punishment and/or blackmail. He is trying to destroy all liberal organizations. I withhold attaching my name to this because Trump would eventually come after me if he finds out who I am.
walk...Harvard is way too defiant and smug
rick...complete abuse of power by the unfit, petulant and incoherent felon 47
moja...Trump doesn’t own Harvard
dena...So much simpler for them to stop antisemitism on their campus.
andr...I'm not sure exactly if I'd "favor" either, but it's clear that Harvard and most all universities are a walled off and protected cartel that are mostly very left wing and supported by taxpayer money.
kjla...Keep standing up for free speech
ksf6...Tax exempt status is very clear in its definition and is a privilege. Revoke the privilege if they don’t abide by the rules.
rtul...This administration will do anything and attack any entity who does not bend a knee to their outrageous agenda. The Trump forces and those who implicitly ratify their actions are the most serious danger to our democracy ever.
jane...Harvard needed to take a stand against tyranny. Its about time Harvard! Shame on you for taking so long.
mary...Trump needs to be stopped and removed from office
denn...Trump needs to read the Constitution - which I doubt he has ever done - and acquaint himself with the powers and limitations of the executive branch of our government.
gmit...Governments ought not try to dictate to universities who to hire and admit or what and how to teach.
melt...It's a ridiculous vendetta and move to silence and control free thoughts and expression.
geus...Trump needs to worry about the enconmy and keep his nose out of a private educational schools operations.
mama...Trump is out of control! He has and continues to overstep the parameters of his position as president.
babs...These prestigious universities are promoting division and elitism. The law graduates are using lawfare against people with conservative viewpoints and those with social degrees are using them to promote the demise of traditional families and transgender nonsense. So much for “following the science”. The graduates with economic degrees are promoting a nation that depends on other countries for everything they need(energy) or don’t really need (Temu and SHEIN throwaway junk).
lcwi...trump is a fascist. 1st thing they do is silence higher institutions of learning & the free press.
elgo...It’s a private institution of higher learning, not a political pawn.
wemd...Trump’s idiocy is attacking the crown jewel of America - our incredible institutions of higher education. Perfect they are not. Best in the world they are. Trump is an incredible danger to what makes America great, and his MAGA millions are existential threats. Will we never learn the lessons of history eg Germany’s embrace of Hitler that directly lead to WWII and millions of dead. Trump’s taking us down that path, and the mindless MAGA minions are following in lock step. Scary. Protect yourself and your families…
jane...Trump is a dictator and needs to be impeached
neil...In 50 years Academia has gone from having 2 liberals to each conservative professor to 99-to-1. Neither side has a monopoly on the truth, thus the current slant provides fertile ground for favoring politics over factual pursuits. At this point academia is showing great disrespect of the median tax payer, and does not deserve tax payer funding or tax breaks unless they take immediate remedial actions to welcome diversity of viewpoint and do away with safe spaces etc. Harvard even has a SCOTUS judgement against it for illegal racist admissions policy. It’s high time extraordinary measures were taken, and I say that as an adjunct professor in an Ivy League where being a closeted conservative is the only way to keep my job. It’s worse that being in the closet as a gay man, and I should know as I have been there too.
avaa...Trump needs to be stopped
zack...Look at how much tax payer money goes to colleges. Trump should also negotiate lower the costs since they receive so much money. The states school where I live receives 180 million. For that they give children 80k of debt!?! These “elite” schools have become a breeding ground for radical, anti-American ideas. This is clearly shown during their Israel protests. If they cannot prevent their own students from violating the rights of other then they should not receive any tax dollars. More importantly since these schools are over charging they should pay for it. Get rid of the tax exempt too. The mandatory College life route is crumbing as we speak anyways
bimm...I think colleges and universities are businesses and have cleverly created a self-perpetuating market that disregards the vocational aptitudes of the people they recruit. That said, the law of the land grants educational institutions 501(c)3 status and Harvard should be held to the same LEGAL standard as say, Liberty University. Have we forgotten 8th grade Civics? Congress makes the laws, Executive branch enforces them, and, when needed, the judicial system adjudicates and rules on compliance/non of the enforcement vis a vis the law itself. Where has that gone?
jatk...This administration is so ill equipped to run the federal government that it is both pathetic and frightening. Harvard and all institutions of higher learning in this country are leading the world in important research and critical thinking. We need to support them, not destroy the soft power they bring to our nation. Trump is a thug, revenge and fear mongers run the current administration.
pres...This is a significant oversight on a private institution.
jdel...Donald Trump is a vindictive monster. His underlying motives are clearly obvious. Harvard has been the beacon for higher education for over a century. Trump should start representing what the people of this country want out of a leader . And stop pursuing his personal vendettas.
west...Harvard has made this political. And with the rampant antisemitism at the University, I think they need a swift kick up the bum. They have gotten away with so much over the years. And I am a Harvard parent. I have seen the ideology seeping into the streets. People should go to University to learn not to be indoctrinated into a cult culture of ideology.
pfor...Captain Chaos has no authority in this area.
dian...Trump is nothing more than a five year old bully that wants his way and does not care about "We the people"
jose...Trump wants to control higher education with right wing beliefs. We are one step closer to a authoritarian regime.
ada0...Trump is the dumbass racist ever
glei...Destroying the American university system will destroy America. It's that simple.
bour...Trump is just a wanna be dictator He is just so incompetent
kuxh...Colleges and universities have a duty to provide an environment in which students should be free to express and share ideas and opinions. Government should not try to regulate that!!
supe...Harvard doesn’t need assistance
lesl...This is yet another example of a government judge, jury and executional narcissist.
kkc7...If Harvard’s tax exempt status is revoked for promoting “political ideologies” next should be all the “Christian” churches whose ministers deliver political rhetoric from pulpit. Hypocrisy on so many levels
jeze...This is a terrible display of bullying by this administration.
shar...The Gestapo party is a threat.
khat...Hands off!
laur...Government should never be Mixing politics with education. This is Trump just trying to strong arm one of the most prestigious and important universities in our country it is heinous. Congress needs to act to real this president back in from his delusional idea of using the government as a weapon
alex...Harvard should not be getting aver 2 billion in research funding from the US people when they have an endowment of over 52 billion dollars. With that said siting “promotion of political ideologies” is not an ok reason to take away the funding.
mich...Harvard and most private colleges are businesses whose business is education. They should not be a tax exempt institution. Donors also should not be given tax breaks.
sall...Trump is once again violating the Constitution oh the United States of America. He must be stopped from his goal to destroy our Democracy.
kchr...Universities need to be allowed to be independent thought leaders, not tools and at the direction of a crazed bully.
agne...Pushed wrong selection
kurt...Trump is abusing and completely overreaching his executive power.
drlu...Harvard seems to be refusing or unable to protect students by allowing hate speech , intimidation and worse from fellow none citizen students on campus. These students are breaking the term of their student visas . Thusly Harvard is tacitly supporting these students geo-political views and acting to promote these political views rather than being none partisan .Thus Harvard no longer qualifies for exempt status .
msyk...Trump's weaponization of the IRS is a disgraceful abuse of power, just as much as were the Obama or Biden administration's attempt to weaponize the IRS against conservative, religious non-profit organizations. The latter were strongly derided by the same GOP leaders who are now cheering the administration's actions.
jllm...I don’t why they’re so interested in the enrollment, it can’t be thinking more of their backward thinking constituents would go there. Horse and buggy here we come. Is Trump Amish.
mik4...we are against antisemitism
tony...These Universities get plenty of money from their students! I feel they should have helped the students along time ago. They keep on raising tuition crippling students after graduation.
cmar...Jeez, if you support Trump on this, then better start taxing churches. I'm not joking.
dale...This is reminding me of Nazi Germany. Sick!
jamf...This institution should NOT be getting taxpayer dollars. They have plenty of money- and too many "staff " that are not professors. They are providing a place for young people on Visa's to rally hate, against our Jewish students! Unacceptable! The extreme ideology has been voted out. Follow the law, Harvard, or raise your own dang $
amfr...Horrible antisemites
lhun...Trump’s pretext was that Harvard permitted their Jewish students to feel unsafe. But his demands for what they needed to correct went so far beyond that effort (and Harvard has done a lot) that it is really just another example of his trying to exert unlawful control over an educational institution.
nice...Educational institute has to be politically neutral, but Harvard became the Speaker of the CCP and far lefts
went...a anti free-speech dictator needs to be removed from office
dyoh...The idea of oversimplifying Affirmative Action is wrong. Using Harvard and similar institutions and weaponizing education for political gainas making them a punching bags in the culture wars—portraying them as "woke," elitist, or un-American" is a slippery slope path for our country undermining education. A level playing field when one doesn’t exist ignoring structural inequities is completely being out of touch and dangerous.
sdla...Clearly, Trump is retaliating against Harvard for not kow-towing to his demands. So narcissistic.
chig...Harvard is my beacon and hero these days! May they inspire other people in power!
tuks...If we side with Trump, we are no longer a democracy. Trump side are tyrant initiatives
shoe...This is illegal overreach by the White House!
pmwr...Trump needs to stop being a bully and make punishments fit the levels of crime!!! Fucking getting ridiculous!!!! He is gonna lose everyone’s support if he doesn’t start picking his battles (vs blasting EVERYONE). Comes off as emotional, not strategic…
mari...Trump is a traitor and his followers are blinded, much like what happened under Hitler. His aims are no different .
jasc...I see no good reason to change what is already in place
chri...As J.D. Vance said on Fox when he was a senator & some right-wing group falsely believed that the IRS was targeting them. "This is about whether we have functional constitutional government in this country. If the IRS can go after you because of what you think or what you believe or what you do, we'd no longer live in a free country.“
patg...I’m having difficulty wrapping my mind around such egregious abuse of power.
aper...That’s a slippery slope. Many churches should lose their tax exempt status using that same reasoning.
kimk...For those that favor Trump on this one, keep in mind that many conservative churches are promoting conservative ideology (in a lot more extreme way than Harvard is promoting liberal ideology), which would meant that they, too, could lose their tax exemptions.
mdul...I could start listing all of the facets of Trump's weaponization of government for his personal gains and to fulfill the goals of his revenge tour but there is nobody that even argues the point any more. Even the most loyal of Trump supporters agree that this is what he's doing but they cling to a belief that the end result of all of this is not the complete dismantling of our form of government but, instead, some sort of undefined "greater" America.
rgar...Harvard should be teaching instead of performing, allowing and supporting radiacl indoctrination and hatred.
erkw...I find this to be so sad. How important is education to all who are able to attend and learn. No matter the color of your skin or culture.
alan...Leave the colleges and universities alone.
knol...Trump is a small bitter person. He needs to grow up.
paul...They have $40 billion. Why the hell should the government give them tax payers money
kint...Another absurd action by the Trump administration. Trump could never get in to Harvard so let's punish them. Interesting that Yale (Vance) and University of Pennsylvania (Trump) not on list to cut federal funds.
lemi...Academic freedom is a foundation of a democratic republic.
srpe...Trump has no right to impose such asks on a private university. He is acting like my son when he doesn’t get what he wants. Mind you, my son is three.
kold...Astonishing that 30% favor Trump on this. It is an unconstitutional weaponization of the IRS by a fucking dictator.
boeh...No
jerr...Trump is a vengeful vindictive person who is out to hurt one of the finest higher education organizations in the world
dram...It's pure bullying and an inappropriate use of power used to create fear. It's clearly a dictatorship mentality.
lizb...What he is proposing is illegal.
phmc...This is in complete violation of the first amendment.
serg...Harvard is losing touch with real education and favoring political action instead.
mich...While I am convinced that tha
well...No logical reason why Harvard, as a private university, should receive taxpayer funding. What is the basis for their tax exempt status. My business is private and it pays taxes!
rudi...A University should be FREE to teach what they deem right. Who says they should be apolitical? What is apolitical anyway?
mend...I think this is a bit of an overreach for Mr. Trump, but I agree with the imbalance within the education system on where they enforce their rules around free speech

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