If you’re going to take money away from Harvard University, it’s probably worth reallocating it to places where people can learn some real skills that don’t involve critical race theory or decolonialist readings of Dickens.
You know, like trade schools, where you can learn something useful.
That seems to be the plan from President Donald Trump, who announced via a Truth Social post on Memorial Day that he would be reallocating the money he had frozen in grants or contracts to Harvard and putting it toward America’s most overlooked educational institutions.
“I am considering taking Three Billion Dollars of Grant Money away from a very antisemitic Harvard, and giving it to TRADE SCHOOLS all across our land,” Trump wrote.
“What a great investment that would be for the USA, and so badly needed!!!”
Donald J. Trump Truth Social 05.26.25 08:27 AM EST pic.twitter.com/DjPkgTfLtC
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) May 26, 2025
Memorial Day, of course, is traditionally viewed as the beginning of summer in America, even if the official season doesn’t kick off until June 21. While equinoxes and tradition may not align, one thing’s pretty obvious: It’s looking to be as bad of a Summer for Harvard as Spring was.
Just in case you’re tuning in recently, Harvard has lost billions in grants and potentially the right to enroll foreign students because it won’t let the government ensure it keeps Jewish students safe and dismantles racist admissions and DEI policies.
Publicly, the university has hung tough, apparently believing that standing tall for the right to hate Jews, Asians, whites, and alternative viewpoints is an inviolable one. Privately, the university seems to have realized it may have dug in for a long fight it cannot win, even if it scores a short-term victory or two.
Even The New York Times — which is definitely rooting for Boston here in a reversal of the historical baseball rivalry — was forced to admit as much in two pieces this month which underscored just how little wiggle room Harvard had.
From May 8, for instance: “Harvard Leaders See Only Bad Outcomes Ahead as They Battle Trump.”
“For centuries, Harvard has cherished its independence, its swaggering pride and its record of academic excellence. But Mr. Trump has reveled in unleashing chaos that many believe will be difficult to contain as long as he sees the university as a target,” the Times noted, saying that “behind the scenes, several senior officials at Harvard and on its top governing board believe that the university is confronting a crisis that could last until President Trump is out of power.”
“Any outcome seems likely to lead to significant cuts to Harvard’s research and work force and undermine its pre-eminence for years. Without its sprawling research apparatus, there is a fear that it could become more like a small, teaching-focused liberal arts college,” the article read.
“University leaders believe the only clear options are either working with Mr. Trump or somehow securing huge sums of money quickly, perhaps from private donors, the three people said. … Even if Harvard ultimately wins in court, funding disruptions could have already upended or compromised carefully structured projects.”
This was before the university had its ability to enroll foreign students under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program revoked by the Department of Homeland Security for its failure to comply with reporting requirements.
Foreign students comprise 27 percent of Harvard’s student body, according to The Hill — and the thing is, they generally pay full sticker price for the education, meaning they provide a massive source of upfront funding.
That led to an even more doom-laden interview piece about the Ivy League school from the Times on May 23: “Why Harvard Has No Way Out.”
Should Trump redirect that $3 billion from Harvard to trade schools?
“Even if Harvard runs the table in court, it’s still persona non grata with the Trump administration, and that means that it’s going to continue to face investigations, including from the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security,” said the Times’ Michael Schmidt, who’s been covering the Harvard story.
“Trump has stripped extensive federal funding from Harvard. Let’s say a judge gives back all of that money for this year. Half of the university’s research budget comes from the federal government. Where is Harvard going to get the money in the year after that, and the year after that? If you’re a researcher, do you want to be doing research at a school where your funding is in question?”
And while a federal judge has temporarily blocked the ability to revoke Harvard’s ability to enroll students under SEVP, Schmidt said this was still problematic.
“For now, it allows foreign students to continue to attend Harvard. But what it doesn’t remove is the question of what’s going to happen,” he said.
“If you’re an international student at Harvard, are you going to be like, ‘OK, cool, I’ll just go to school in the fall, and I’ll be checking the federal docket to see if the restraining order is still in place’?”
His conclusion: “Harvard officials have privately determined they are in a major, major, major crisis with very few, if any, good off ramps.”
Well, there is one good off-ramp: a trade school. I hear they’re getting an injection of money — and unlike studies in critical race theory, I hear learning carpentry actually has good returns.
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