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Newsom chides USC to ‘do the right thing’ for academic freedom and resist Trump compact
Los Angeles Times ^ | Oct. 3, 2025 Updated 8:06 PM PT | Daniel Miller, Melody Gutierrez and Jaweed Kaleem

Posted on 10/04/2025 10:15:02 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

Gov. Newsom on Friday further waded into the controversy surrounding President Trump’s higher education compact, which has roiled USC since being extended to the university.

Gov. Newsom on Friday waded further into the controversy surrounding a higher education compact President Trump has presented to nine universities including USC, chiding campus leadership to “do the right thing” and reject the offer.

The compact, sent Wednesday to the University of Southern California and other campuses nationwide, has roiled higher education with its demands for rightward campus policy shifts in exchange for priority federal funding.

On Thursday, Newsom swung back at the Trump proposal and threatened to cut “billions” of dollars in state funding to any California university that agrees to it.

Newsom offered fiery remarks during a bill signing at UC Berkeley on Friday, escalating the stakes in the high-pressure decision confronting USC.

“Do the right thing,” he said. “What’s the point of the system? What’s the point of the university? What’s the point of all of this if we don’t have academic freedom? … It’s not a choice, and the fact that I felt I needed to even send that message is rather shocking, because some people think it is.”

Newsom scoffed at the notion that USC, a private institution, even has to deliberate over the Trump offer — calling it a “false choice.”

The compact’s conservative goals

The White House offer to USC and a small group of prominent universities — among them the University of Arizona,...

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Education
KEYWORDS: california; education; greasygavin; subversion

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1 posted on 10/04/2025 10:15:02 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Newsom has no cards. State funding is in the low hundreds of millions. Federal funding is over a billion.


2 posted on 10/04/2025 10:20:03 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Je suis Charlie Kirk.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Newsom has threatened to pull state funding from California universities that sign Trump’s compact requiring mostly conservative campus policies.

But entirely Liberal policies are totally okay. Got it.

3 posted on 10/04/2025 10:21:45 AM PDT by Texas Eagle ("Throw me to the wolves and I'll return leading the pack"- Donald J. Trump)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

When a leftist says “do the right thing” what they mean is “do the wrong thing”.


4 posted on 10/04/2025 10:28:19 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

True.


5 posted on 10/04/2025 10:42:11 AM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“Newsom chides USC to ‘do the right thing’ for academic freedom and resist Trump compact”

I believe Newscum wouldn’t know the “right thing” if it bit him on the ass.


6 posted on 10/04/2025 10:43:54 AM PDT by antidemoncrat
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“Academic freedom” is one of those vague abstractions on the order of “Our Democracy”. It can mean anything the speaker wants it to.


7 posted on 10/04/2025 10:47:42 AM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: Billthedrill
“Academic freedom” is one of those vague abstractions on the order of “Our Democracy”. It can mean anything the speaker wants it to.

It can even mean "Academic freedom for me, none for thee!"

8 posted on 10/04/2025 10:51:51 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Je suis Charlie Kirk.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

what a fascist.


9 posted on 10/04/2025 10:53:08 AM PDT by BookmanTheJanitor
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

U S C ISN’T THE BEST SCHOOL IN CALIF.

THEY TOLERATED PETE CARROLL & HIS RECRUITMENT SHENANIGANS FOR YEARS


10 posted on 10/04/2025 11:13:21 AM PDT by ridesthemiles (not giving up on TRUMP---EVER)
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To: antidemoncrat

NEWSOM’S LIST OF RIGHT THINGS IS A TOTAL CONTRADICTION OF ALL OF THE REST OF US.


11 posted on 10/04/2025 11:14:12 AM PDT by ridesthemiles (not giving up on TRUMP---EVER)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Newsom and Harris democrats have a plan.


12 posted on 10/04/2025 11:49:12 AM PDT by Vaduz
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Newsom has decided there is not enough antisemitism on campus.


13 posted on 10/04/2025 2:24:19 PM PDT by magooey (The Mandate of Heaven resides in the hearts of men.)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; BraveMan; cardinal4; ...
DNC shills @ Los Angeles Slimes. Other coverage:

14 posted on 10/04/2025 11:04:55 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (NeverTrumpin' -- it's not just for DNC shills anymore -- oh, wait, yeah it is.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

What would Newsome ever know about the ‘right thing’?


15 posted on 10/04/2025 11:22:13 PM PDT by Bullish (My tagline ran off with another man, but it's ok---- I wasn't married to it.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

This is rich. Newsom to USC: “I will bully you into not being bullied by Trump” Or something.


16 posted on 10/04/2025 11:26:22 PM PDT by irishjuggler
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