VDH: Elite Universities Final Cave to Trump

The Daily Signal YT Channel ^ | July 18 2025 | victor davis hanson

[texas booster]

Elite universities know they’re in the wrong. For years, they’ve been:

Charging upwards of 60% for “overhead” costs for federal research grants.

Blatantly violating the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 Civil Rights ruling barring race-based admissions and hiring practices.

Allowing rampant antisemitism on campus.

Reliant on international students from illiberal regimes.

Facing both mounting pressure from the Trump administration to change their ways, and vocal opposition from their Marxist students and faculty to remain the same, university presidents are starting to fold:

[texas booster]

So, how do these presidents do it? They're afraid of their students. They're afraid of their Marxist faculty. So what they're doing is, essentially, they're talking to the Trump administration. And they're going to go right back and they're going to say, ‘You know, I did not want to do this. I really did not want to cut a deal. I want to keep going with DEI. I think we have a right to. But I can't. Donald Trump's a tough customer. If I don't cut a deal with him, we're gonna go broke. We'll get no federal funds. We'll get no federal grants. We'll get an even bigger tax on our endowment. So I've got to cut a deal. He made me do it.’

[texas booster]

Ping! Out to the Victor Davis Hanson list

A short Daily Signal video that discusses the bind that university presidents' face: To Trump or not to Trump?

FR Index of his articles: Victor Davis Hanson on FR

Town Hall: Victor Davis Hanson on Town Hall

American Greatness: Victor Davis Hanson on American Greatness

His website: Victor Davis Hanson The Sword of Perseus

One of his sponsors' website: The Daily Signal transcription

Please let me know if you want on or off this new VDH ping list.

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https://freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index

[Bon of Babble]

Yep. They’re also losing their donors so that source of $$ has dried up.

These college presidents make tons of money - they’ll be the hatchet man, take the vilification by Marxist students, professors and the media - for an early retirement, sinecure and fat pension - they’ll get out with their money be forgotten, and pass the buck onto someone else quickly.

[libertylover]

So I've got to cut a deal. He made me do it.’

I think they're just trying to hold out until the next Democrat president then they'll go back to their discriminating ways.

[nopardons]

BTTT

[cnsmom]

I told my daughters I’d help pay for the best high school in their state but college is a waste. After graduation start working.

[bgill]

How about a deal that they buy out the university and pay back all government funds they’ve ever received and become private schools. Huh? How about that? Or they grow the heck up and start being American but until then no more tax dollars.

Back in the 70s, a bunch of Iranians showed up at our conservative university. They made it clear they hated the US and didn’t want to be here. They didn’t have to attend class or take tests and we suddenly went to the bell curve and they got As.

[Salman]

Elite universities have multi-billion dollar endowments.

How about unconditionally no federal funding.

Used to be "no welfare for the rich" was a left wing slogan, but did they ever really mean it?

[arthurus]

We do not need concessions, no matter how deep, from the Universities to not lose Federal funds. Federal fundsto all and any schools from K-Phd needs to be totally cut off other than k-12s on federal reservations (military bases).

[fella]

It always boils down to the money.