Education Secretary Linda McMahon apparently thinks research at American universities is only permissible if it’s “in sync” with the Trump White House.
President Donald Trump has been attacking Harvard University, threatening to cut its funding and revoke its ability to enroll international students, as the State Department works to vet foreign students’ social media accounts before granting them educational visas.
During an interview with CNBC on Thursday, McMahon, a former professional wrestling promoter, explained a simple solution U.S. colleges could employ: Just get on board with Trump’s agenda.
“Universities should continue to be able to do research as long as they’re abiding by the laws and are in sync, I think, with the administration and what the administration is trying to accomplish,” she told CNBC.
McMahon’s comments come just days after Trump threatened to take away $3 billion in grant money from Harvard, which he accuses of antisemitism and harboring “radicalized lunatics” and “troublemakers.”
Not surprisingly, McMahon’s comments on behalf of the administration sparked criticism.
American Association of University Professors President Todd Wolfson told Newsweek that McMahon’s assertion about Harvard being “in sync” with the administration was “outrageous and dangerous,” adding that “American higher education exists to serve the public, not radical right-wing politicians that are attempting to control what can be said, taught, or researched on our campuses.”
People on social media also attacked McMahon’s suggestion that universities bend their research goals to the whims of the administration.
And, yes, things got brutal.
McMahon has earned plenty of mockery on social media already.
Last month, while speaking about artificial intelligence at the ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, she repeatedly referred to it as “A1,” like the steak sauce, instead of “AI.”