"To Avoid Becoming the Next Harvard Target"... US Universities in Behind-the-Scenes Contact with White House

CNN: "White House Seeks Agreements With Universities"
No University Has Signed an Agreement Yet

As President Donald Trump intensifies his attacks on Harvard University, citing reasons such as antisemitism, reports have emerged that other American universities are engaging in behind-the-scenes contact with the White House in an effort to avoid becoming the next 'target.'

According to CNN on May 31 (local time), some university presidents and senior officials have been in contact with May Mailman, White House Policy Advisor, over the past several weeks, coordinating on what messages to deliver in line with the Trump administration's stance on antisemitism.

Mailman is one of Trump's closest aides and is known to be close to Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and a key power broker in the White House. Miller has led not only President Trump's hardline immigration policies but also the strategy of pressuring American universities for allegedly failing to properly address antisemitism on campus.

White flowers are placed at the Harvard University graduation ceremony held on the 29th of last month. Cambridge=EPA Yonhap News Photo by EPA

A source familiar with the matter told CNN, "The White House is attempting to negotiate with prominent universities," adding, "They want these universities to enter into agreements similar to those made by law firms, which have pledged not to defend antisemitism, protests, or DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies." The discussions are reportedly being led by an antisemitism task force established within the Department of Justice. This task force is headed by Leo Terrell, a senior advisor to the Department of Justice and former Fox News host, with Miller and Mailman reportedly involved in decision-making.

However, CNN reported that no university has yet entered into an agreement with the White House. A representative of a prestigious university told CNN, "We do not want to become their 'model school,'" adding, "We are prepared to fight as long as it does not undermine our core values, but we have no intention of provoking them first." A White House official told CNN, "We will not cooperate with universities that only make verbal promises without taking substantive action," and added, "Many schools are seeking to negotiate, and the President is ready to work with them."

CNN also reported that some universities have hired political consultants and experts to respond to the Trump administration's demands, while Harvard University is developing an aggressive legal strategy and organizing its alumni network. Harvard, the first among American universities to reject the Trump administration's demands for on-campus policy changes under the pretext of eradicating antisemitism, is currently in a severe conflict with the federal government, including facing cuts to federal funding.