CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings on Tuesday turned the table to panelists whose funds from President Donald Trump claimed the suspension to Harvard University was political.
The Trump administration is set to Stop A multi-year grant of $2.2 billion to Ivy League University for refusing to follow demands to combat anti-Semitism and improve screening of international students with “hostile” views. CNN contributor Lulu Garcia Navarro said Trump was using taxpayer money to treat people unfairly, and Jennings argued that the president was taking the necessary actions to protect the civil rights of Jewish students.
“It assumes somehow this federal money belongs to the president, and in fact this federal money belongs to the people, and it’s the people who pay the tax,” Garcia Navarro said. “And the federal government’s idea is that you should actually look at the people in the US and try to deal with them fairly.”
“And who would people choose to become the custodian of their money?” Jennings was inserted. “The US President and he are standing up for these Jewish students. Who will spend money? Who will need to cut checks? Who will have to faithfully enforce the laws of this country? It is the president, and the civil rights of these students are being violated.” (Related: “Why didn’t you take care of the left?”: CNBC panelists descend to a screaming match as the host calls left hypocrisy about the speech)
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The administration’s move against Harvard, following a Congressional investigation, found that on October 7, 2023, schools were unable to punish students who participated in anti-Semitic protests following the attack on Israel. The protest included multiple days Campoccupy campus, confuse classes, and scream blatantly anti-Semitic rhetoric.
Harvard President Alan Gerber said in a statement Monday that the university will not “waive independence or waive any constitutional rights.”
Garcia Navarro later claimed that Trump was “trying to weaponize federal wallet strings” for “political reasons.” Garcia Navarro argued that the issue exceeded anti-Semitism, as Jennings defended Jewish students from the fear and hatred they endured.
“[Trump’s] Jennings continued. President Trump is standing up for these kids, that’s why [Harvard] I’m angry about that. Only people at Harvard don’t make that clear. Ivy, they don’t make that clear. We are here, they are there. ”
Jennings further said that politicians would “get their butts.”[es] When he told Americans they had to hand over $9 billion to an elite university, he said that recognizing students who “fundamental dislike Western civilization” posed a national security risk.
“As a political issue, if you’re going out to Americans now and say, “Unless you give Harvard $9 billion, we’re not going to make it as a country, we’re sitting at $53 billion.” I think you’ll get kicked in your ass in a political campaign,” Jennings said. “Now don’t get me wrong. I’ll actually do something here with Harvard. I agree that these universities are important. They do important work. I argue that it’s a national security issue that these Ivy League universities are revealing people who hold people who hate Western civilizations.
Anti-Israel protests spread across university campuses across the United States in the spring of 2024, demanding that schools sell economic ties from Israel. Camps, protests and illegal occupations have led Jewish students to flee campus to protect themselves and escape harassment.
The Trump administration is currently in the process of deporting Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-born Palestinian activist who was involved in the student camp at Columbia University, claiming his involvement is sympathetic to Hamas.
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