Trump threatens to stop funding for any colleges allowing ‘illegal protests’

March 04, 2025 1 min read

1 Comment

Lexi Lona Cochrane
The Hill

Excerpt: President Trump said Tuesday that he will seek to block the federal funding for colleges and universities “that allow illegal protests” on their campuses. 

“All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests. Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post, though he did not specify an enforcement mechanism.

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1 Response

Kirby Urner '80
Kirby Urner '80

March 07, 2025

Are protests illegal by definition? I’d think no, no?

Scenario: a hypothetical dean of student affairs of college X with federal funding sets aside two days a week for campus rallies. A space is set aside, campus groups book reservations, a calendar is published.

Pro Israel rallies are permitted. Pro Palestine rallies are permitted. The college reserves to revoke permits depending on crowd unruliness.

Say this arrangement goes on for several weeks with no rallies turning violent. A permanent soundstage is installed for both music and oratory. Journalists are invited. Counter-demonstrations are not allowed, but the same people may attend any or all of the rallies.

Protest events outside these scheduled places and times are deemed unauthorized by said college, but off-campus events may nevertheless be legal by county criteria. The college makes sure the permitted rallies are deemed legal by whatever county in question. No federal funding is lost.

Is this scenario unrealistic? It seems to me any college or university would encourage dignified permitted assemblies and free speech exercise, as curriculum-relevant and contributing to the public discourse. I wouldn’t think a college that clamped down on rallies would be very appealing to future applicants.

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