The swiftness and severity with which the Trump Administration has tried to impose its will on higher education came as a shock to many, not least university presidents and faculties from Harvard to U.C.L.A. But for conservatives this arena of cultural conflict has been a long time coming. The staff writer Emma Green has been speaking with influential figure ... Show More
Apr 2025
The Conservative Activist Pushing Trump to Attack U.S. Colleges
<p>This week, we interviewed two people with leading roles in the rapidly escalating conflict between the Trump administration and American higher education.</p><p>Today, we speak with Christopher Rufo, who led the conservative critique of, and assault on, critical race theory an ... Show More
43m 49s
Mar 2025
Trump’s Escalating War With Higher Education
<p>In recent weeks, the Trump administration has put the American university system on notice.</p><p>It has pressed for changes, opened investigations — and in some cases withheld critical funds.</p><p>Alan Blinder, who covers education in America, explains how schools are respon ... Show More
27m 50s
Sep 2025
The Grand Strategy Behind Trump’s Crackdown on Academia
<p>What is wrong with higher education in America? According to many on the right, a lot. This week, Ross Douthat talks to May Mailman, the lawyer behind President Trump’s battles with Harvard and Columbia, about the administration’s assault on the Ivy League and why “a glorifica ... Show More
59m 1s
Apr 2025
The University President Willing to Fight Trump
<p>This week, we interviewed two people with leading roles in the rapidly escalating conflict between the Trump administration and American higher education. </p><p>Today, we speak with the president of Princeton University, Christopher L. Eisgruber, about the institution’s path ... Show More
38m 49s
Sep 2025
Casualties of Trump’s War on Higher Ed
President Trump has a long list of grievances against many U.S. colleges and universities. He’s complained about antisemitism on campuses, of gender- and race-based course offerings, even communist indoctrination. To force change, the government has increasingly used the power of ... Show More
28m 38s
Feb 2025
American Higher Education Under the Second Trump Administration
In this episode of International Horizons, RBI Director John Torpey speaks with Steven Brint, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Public Policy at UC Riverside, about the early days of the second Trump administration and its impact on higher education. Brint discusses the ad ... Show More
28m 39s