On Tuesday evening, Chris Hayes discovered himself extra intently resembling a conspiracy theorist than a journalist throughout his present, All In with Chris Hayes. Hayes, leaving out crucial context across the federal determination to cease authorities funding from Harvard College, in contrast Trump to a communist Apparatchik, that’s, somebody who was blindly dedicated to political ideologies– like a Soviet politician.
In fact, this rhetoric was solely used to additional spotlight the presupposition that Trump was a dictator and autocrat, a view broadly held by these on the left, like Hayes. The irony, nonetheless, is that if anybody is blinded from the reality by their very own political ideologies, it was Hayes.
“The Trump administration is making an attempt to place Harvard College, the nation’s oldest faculty, out of enterprise,” he whined close to the highest of the present. Additional bloviating about how the was “one space of simply real American exceptionalism.”
Within the section, Hayes stated that the true motive behind the federal funding being pulled was as a result of Trump needed to “management what your ideology is.” In accordance with Hayes:
They wish to rewrite the varsity’s curriculum in a means that’s favorable and deferential to Trump and his worldview. Donald Trump needs probably the most highly effective and legendary establishment in increased schooling on this nation, arguably on this planet, to bend the knee to his whims and turn out to be a sort of managed asset of MAGA. That’s the aim right here.
The unique letter from the U.S. Division of Training that Hayes referenced all through his monologue laid 10 reforms they wish to see carried out at Harvard, all of which shouldn’t be controversial:
- Governance reform amongst deans and professors.
- Advantage primarily based hiring practices (that’s, not hiring primarily based off of race, intercourse, faith, colour, and many others.).
- Advantage primarily based admission practices.
- Worldwide admissions reforms, and conducting a radical screening course of for candidates from nations which are hostile towards the U.S.).
- Third occasion auditing of the college to make sure that curriculum being taught to college students is unbiased, and that there’s variety amongst the viewpoints being taught to college students.
- Reforming packages with an “egregious” file of anti-Semitism to make sure equality for Jewish college students.
- Cease using DEI practices.
- Pupil self-discipline transparency.
- Protections for these on the college who may uncover that any of the outlined reformed packages are violated.
- Full transparency and accountability between the College, college, and college students.
These proposed reforms undoubtedly had stemmed from the latest pro-Palestinian protests at Harvard, which reached a fever pitch final yr when college students created encampments, even within buildings, and harassed Jewish college students. Whereas the Harvard campus administration did self-discipline these college students for his or her actions, the college additionally launched a 331-page anti-Semitism report in April that said 60 % of Jewish college students on campus had skilled discrimination, detrimental bias, and stereotyping.
The college had largely downplayed the plain anti-Semitism on campus, one thing the White Home was making an attempt to repair by issuing a letter to Harvard’s administration. When Harvard refused the reforms, the White Home adopted by way of on their finish of the deal and pulled federal funding.
Hayes touted the conspiracy concept that the precise motive the Trump administration has achieved this was as a result of Trump needs to make Individuals “extra amenable to political domination.”
It appears, based on Hayes, that cracking down on anti-Semitism is a type of political domination, and corresponding to actions of Communist Celebration members.
The complete transcript is under. Click on “increase” to learn.
MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes
Might 27, 2025
8:01:27 PM ESTCHRIS HAYES: The Trump administration is making an attempt to place Harvard College, the nation’s oldest faculty, out of enterprise. Right now, we discovered the White Home is ready to drag all of the remaining federal funding that flows by way of the varsity, that is about $100 million, based on estimates. That’s, along with the billions of {dollars} in analysis funding, together with extraordinarily essential biomedical analysis the administration has already frozen on the college. And, after all, final week, the White Home halted Harvard’s means to enroll worldwide college students, which, The New York Instances studies, may affect about 25 % of the coed physique.
This is the factor: folks all around the world desperately wish to come to the U.S. to review, as a result of this nation has, for many years now, provided the gold normal when it comes to increased schooling globally. It is one space of simply real American exceptionalism, and so worldwide college students are an enormous boon to American universities and to the American college students at these universities, and all of the financial exercise round it.
One research confirmed that about 1,000,000 worldwide college students at American faculties and universities contributed greater than $43 billion to the U.S. financial system throughout the 2023 and 2024 tutorial yr. all these complaints you hear from Donald Trump and plenty of folks about our commerce deficit with China, proper? We purchase all the things from us. They purchase nothing from us. We purchase all the things from them. They purchase nothing from us.
Properly, one place that we’ve got an unlimited commerce surplus with the remainder of the world, is in increased ed. However nobody within the Trump administration truly cares about that or any of this. That is all simply punishment towards the college after it rejected the White Home’s demand to put in third occasion auditors.
Sort of ideological, like, occasion apparatchik minders, to, quote,” audit these packages and departments that almost all gasoline anti-Semitic harassment or replicate ideological seize.” Take into consideration that phrase.
Now, to be clear, anti-Semitism is an actual and pernicious drawback in America. However by now, it’s painfully apparent that it’s only a handy rhetorical weapon for Trump and his allies to realize full management of universities. I imply, take into consideration that phrase: ideological seize. That may imply something. We wish to management what your ideology is. They wish to rewrite the varsity’s curriculum in a means that’s favorable and deferential to Trump and his worldview.
