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President Donald Trump has only been in office a few months and has already drawn ire from everyone from his fellow republicans, the immigrant community, and those watching their 401ks plummet in value.
His newest haters are those in higher education, as he yanks funding from the country’s most elite schools for refusing to adhere to his rules. Now, a long-time hater, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, has joined the conversation, applauding Harvard for refusing to back down from the administration meddling in their curriculum.
“I believe in academic freedom. I think it’s crucial for all of our institutions to be able to handle their own business the way they want to — and they should not be shaken down, told what to teach, what to say by our government,” he said in a post-game interview. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, but it’s kind of par for the course right now. Yes, this is me supporting Harvard. Way to go. Way to stand up to the bully.”
Trump’s been attempting to wield power over universities, threatening First Amendment rights by banning students from protesting Israel’s occupation of Palestine and Gaza, changing diversity in admission, and screening international students who support terrorism or anti-Semitic movements.
NPR reports that about $9 billion in government funding is at risk, and $2.2 billion in grants are currently frozen.
Columbia was one of the first schools to be bullied by Trump, as the White House pulled $400 million in federal funding over failure to follow similar guidelines. At first, the university appeared to bend the knee, but it has since put up more of a fight to prevent “heavy-handed orchestration from the government.”
Kerr’s statement is another reminder that it’s always bigger than sports, as he was rocking a Harvard basketball t-shirt, which sparked the response. The nine-time NBA champ said he got the shirt from Harvard men’s basketball head coach Tommy Amaker when his Warriors practiced at their facility in November.
Kerr’s latest anti-Trump statement comes as the Warriors can breathe a sigh of relief with a playoff berth after beating the Memphis Grizzlies in the Play-In tournament.
See how social media is reacting below.