Trump’s re-election means an attack on universities. Now is the time to prepare

BOISE, Idaho – The American university system has been the center of our nation’s intellectual innovation and technological and financial prosperity over the past century. The reason for this success is academic freedom, which is strictly maintained despite political changes in the country.

But with the re-election of Donald Trump, academic freedom, freedom of thought and freedom of expression at universities are threatened. He has vowed to eradicate “Marxist lunatics” from universities by using the accreditation process as his “secret weapon.” He has vowed to punish students who protest Israel’s war in Gaza.

We’ve already seen the impact this can have in Idaho. The mix of political extremism, corruption and incompetence on the board of North Idaho College offers a glimpse of what could be to come. It was such a mess that even in one of the most conservative parts of Idaho, voters gave the board the upper hand this year.

Imagine the corrupt chaos taking place at every college and university and you will have an idea of ​​what could be coming. Because the vision that Trump has outlined for universities is to become instruments of state ideology.

One of the standards laid out by Trump is that universities must defend “the American tradition and Western civilization.” That sounds good. What could be wrong with American values? But when such words come from the government’s mouth, caution is advised.

Take the word Juche, a Korean word that translates to “self-reliance.” Self-reliance is something everyone wants to encourage in young people. But in North Korea, Juche means the official state ideology – the ideology that everyone must adopt if they do not have to fear punishment.

This far-reaching attack on intellectual freedom has been gaining momentum across the country for years. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has effectively dismantled a public university to enforce ideological censorship. There have been major efforts across the country to ban access to books containing LGBTQ+ characters.

(This is clearly an attempt at censorship, not protection of children. This is evident from the fact that attempts to restrict children’s access to actual pornography have been blocked by the same people pushing for book bans. Senator Kevin Cook’s bill aims to Most right-wing senators opposed the introduction of pornography filters on cell phones sold to children last year, and the House of Representatives refused to give the issue a hearing.)

Political efforts to ban measures to make Idaho universities more welcoming to minority students are growing.

Given all this, it is more important than ever that universities fight to maintain their autonomy and independence from political control. The intellectuals of the MAGA movement largely follow the example of Hungarian dictator Viktor Orbán. Vice President-elect JD Vance is a particular fan.

Orban has led his country into authoritarianism, justified by attacks on many of the same official enemies as MAGA: science, immigrants, gays and the press. At the same time, he has led his country into unprecedented levels of corruption.

University administrators, professors and students should be prepared for the coming attack. Now draw red lines that you will not cross if government pressure is applied. Stick to these red lines, even if the consequences are significant.