Tensions between former President Barack Obama and former President Donald Trump have reignited, this time over the future of higher education. During a recent speech at Hamilton College, Obama criticized Trump’s policies, warning of a decline in American core values under

his leadership. His remarks underscore a growing ideological divide, particularly as universities become battlegrounds for cultural and political conflicts.

The debate has intensified with Harvard University’s high-stakes standoff against the Trump administration. Federal officials have frozen $2.3 billion in funding, demanding the school dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, ban masks at protests, and adopt

strictly merit-based admissions. The administration frames these measures as necessary to combat antisemitism, while critics accuse it of weaponizing federal power to impose a partisan agenda. Read more below