Trump vows to reclaim university campuses ‘taken over by Marxist Maniacs’
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Donald Trump has pledged to seize the endowments of universities that practice positive discrimination as part of a far-reaching plan to overhaul US higher education.
In a campaign video this week, the former US president vowed to reclaim campuses that he claimed had been taken over by “Marxist Maniacs”.
Mr Trump’s latest pledge is a continuation of his efforts to roll back Obama-era policies promoting diversity in universities. It also echoes some of the policies of his Republican rival Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, who last year claimed that university campuses are “intellectually repressive environments”.
Mr Trump proposed a new financial structure that would see institutions stripped of their endowments in order to pay the legal fees of students who have lost out on university places as a result of positive discrimination, also known as affirmative action - the practice of favouring individuals from groups regarded as disadvantaged or subject to discrimination.
“The Department of Justice will pursue federal civil rights cases against schools that continue to engage in racial discrimination and schools that persist and explicit unlawful discrimination under the guise of equity,” he said.
“I will advance a measure to have them fined up to the entire amount of their endowment. A portion of the seized funds will then be used as restitution for victims of these illegal and unjust policies.”
During Mr Trump’s time in office, the education department, overseen by Betsy DeVos, the under-secretary, changed federal rules that governed college accrediting agencies. The new rules gave accreditors more scope in how they approved university programmes - but the Trump administration did not try to influence the curriculum.
The changes have become a point of contention among US politicians, with president Joe Biden planning to re-visit the rules for college accreditors this year.
Democrats have widely criticised Mr Trump’s previous changes as weakening the oversight of accreditors.
Under his plan, Mr Trump said he would fire the existing accrediting organisations involved in race, diversity, equality and inclusion efforts, who he said were too entwined with “Marxist bureaucrats”.
He also promised to address the “exploding” cost of higher education and accused academics of “indoctrinating” students and limiting free speech.
Colleges would be required to offer “accelerated and low-cost degrees” and facilitate “meaningful job placement and career services”.
“For many years, tuition costs at colleges and universities have been exploding and I mean absolutely exploding. Well, academics have been obsessed with indoctrinating America’s youth,” he said.
“These standards will include defending the American tradition and Western civilisation, protecting free speech, eliminating wasteful administrative positions that drive up costs incredibly,” Mr Trump added.
