Trump is a gangster. Now he’s committing extortion against American universities.
President Donald Trump’s war on academia continued this week with letters pressuring the leaders of top universities across the United States to sign his “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” for priority access to federal funding and other “positive benefits.”
The New York Times reported that “letters were sent on Wednesday to the University of Arizona, Brown University, Dartmouth College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Virginia.”
The letters “urging campus leaders to pledge support for President Trump’s political agenda to help ensure access to federal research funds” were signed by Education Secretary Linda McMahon and two key White House officials, according to the Times.
The “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” is basically a demand to dictate who is allowed to be employed by and attend our universities — it’s an anti-DEI set of demands that claims to enhance diversity while effectively abolishing it. It demands that the university “transforming or abolishing institutional units that purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas,” so it’s trying to artificially pump up bogus conservatism, at a time when conservatism has dived off the cliff into outright lunacy.
My university hasn’t been victimized by the extortionist, yet. I would hope that they would refuse to accept the compact, if they were sent this wicked letter. Most universities are fighting back and refusing to sign on.
Leaders of the Texas system were “honored” that the Austin campus was chosen to be a part of the compact and its “potential funding advantages,” according to a statement from Kevin Eltife, chair of the Board of Regents. “Today we welcome the new opportunity presented to us and we look forward to working with the Trump Administration on it,” Eltife said.
What a cowardly, chicken-shit place Texas must be.
Modified & sabotaged from the old country song obvs.. Lyrics yoiked from song clip on yt.
Doesn’t really scan buddy.
The vibe from good news of resistance killed by my home state’s complicity. Not surprised, of course, but c’mon, Texas, throw me a bone once in a while.
I used to be proud of my degree from UT; one of the high points of my time there was when anti-apartheid protestors disrupted my graduation. And this year their football team sucks too. So I don’t reminisce about my long-ago college days anymore.
How is this legal?
Funding is allocated by congress and is not supposed to be a slush fund for the president to bribe people to do what he wants.
Just refuse. Don’t comply. Sue.
It goes without saying. That Federal money isn’t really Federal money.
It is our money. The taxpayers.
Most of it is Blue state money since Blue states pay far more in taxes than they get back.
A classic case of taxation without representation.
Well, yeah.
Why else would they feel compelled to bang all those drums they do so love?
O, and 🎶 …. “The chicken shits pound down their grits ….”
“…. Dictatorship is king if you’re right-wing ….”
“… failed ideas abound on government grounds ….” 🎶
“ You’re gonna give us what we want, or else”
Now if only what laughably passes for a left-wing in this country could embrace that strategy
Here’s my 2¢ on the demands made to my University:
https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2025/10/miller-70-this-time-its-more-important-than-ever-for-brown-to-say-no
Silentbob@2,
True – but I can almost hear it sung, with the main vocalist pausing after “deep in the”, a voice in a higher register inserting “cowardly, chicken-shit”, then the main vocalist resuming. I’d copyright it if I were you, StevoR!
I attended a conference (on AI, as it happens) at the University of Austin, way back in the ’80s, and received the impression that it, and the city, were an island of decency and sanity in that repulsive state. Are today’s students so beaten down, or so complicit with evil, that they will not rise up against their treacherous Board of Regents?
These extortion rackets by the magat-in-chief (along with the destructive corruption of the scrotum 6) are just more proof that the rule of law is DEAD.
UK Universities Offered To Monitor Students’ Social Media For Arms Firms, Emails Show
Donald Trump’s perspective on the assets of the United States Government is rooted in his sense of personal ownership. He views all government funds and property as belonging to him. His belief that the role of President entitles him to control everything the country possesses. Trump believes that only he has the authority to manage them as he sees fit.
If that is the U of Texas, Austin campus, that is where the LBJ presidential library is located. They are practically spitting on his grave by doing this.
stuffin, well, sorta. Not so much belonging to him as at his disposal as he wishes, as I make it.
Prob is Congress and the High Court enable his belief, as does his party.
You know, the intent of the tripartite arrangement was to ensure separation of powers and prevent any one branch from dominating the others is shown to be fragile and has been subverted. But given that the legislative and judicial branches currently enable the executive, his belief is functionally correct even if not constitutionally.
Quite remarkable, really.
@5 raven
I keep saying that to the IRS and they keep taking my money anyway. Go figure.
That’s not true. But just how not true is it? Are Texas and Florida also blue states because they pay more than they receive? Are Oregon, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Vermont actually red states because they get more than they pay in? I’m curious how your universal claims work here.
Nice golf course you have there, Mr Trump. Be a shame if anything happened to it.
Like, say, global warming raising sea levels enough to flood that 17th green, or even just wash out the substrate. See? I didn’t threaten to take any violent action at all…
Jaws, why would he give a shit about that? He’s about to be 80 years old.
@ ^ John Morales : because he likes golf and he likes Mar-e-lago and I gotta say a huge hurricane trashing Trump’s mansion and gold course – without killing or badly injuring any innocents there – just might be what it takes to drive home to him that Global Overheating is real and should be taken seriously? It does sometimes seems (seen written somewhere) that only things personally affecting Repugs makes them actually think about and grasp issues that normal empathic humans are able towrok out much quicker..
Does our Trumpy troll at #17 here really expect us to think they are so stupid they don’t understand qualifer wqords like “most” eg as used by #5 raven?
Also see my analsysis of the Worst States for Edcatiomn here :
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2025/10/06/the-future-looks-bleak/comment-page-1/#comment-2280113
Which finds that of the 10 worst educated states 9 are either red or in a single case (Nevada) perhaps purple and only a single one is Blue (New Mexico*) which seems suspicipusly selective fromour Blue-state targeting disinfo spreading troll here. I would take whatever “beholdler” says here with a mountain of halite.
.* Which contrary to the troll’s claim otherwise is NOT dead last since the dead last one is deeply red West Virginia.
“are Texas and Florida also blue states because they pay more than they receive?”
Uh buddy, I hate to tell you this, but BOTH Florida and Texas have been in the net red for about 15 years now. just how misinformed ARE YOU?
@23 Ichthyic
Here’s my source: “Donor States 2025” worldpopulationreview (dot) com (slash) state-rankings (slash) donor-states
Return on Tax Dollars 2024 – States with a Return on Tax Dollars of less than $1.00 pay more to the government than they receive and are considered donor states.
Texas: $0.75
Florida: $0.79
New Hampshire: $0.90 (Oh look, I was wrong about New Hampshire. My bad!)
Oregon: $1.21
Vermont: $1.50
New Mexico: $3.42
Got anything credible on your end, Ichthyic?
Going once…going twice…