MAGA’s remaking of universities could have dire consequences
For higher education, innovation, prosperity and freedom

“THIS IS an economic revolution and we will win.” Donald Trump’s line on tariffs sounds like something from Robespierre or Engels. And as any revolutionary knows, to sweep away the old order it is not enough just to raise import duties. You also have to seize and refashion the institutions that control the culture. In America that means wresting control of Ivy League universities which play an outsize role in forming the elite (including Mr Trump’s cabinet). The MAGA plan to remake the Ivies could have terrible consequences for higher education, for innovation, for economic growth and even for what sort of country America is. And it is only just beginning.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “The campus counter-revolution”

From the April 12th 2025 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the edition
How AI could help the climate
The technology could help decarbonise the industries that have proved the hardest to clean up

Donald Trump’s oddly sensible move: seeking a deal with Iran
The world should welcome America’s planned talks, even if the results are modest

Trump’s incoherent trade policy will do lasting damage
Even after his backtracking, the president has done profound harm to the world economy
Europe should buy from Ukraine’s defence industry
And invest in it too
Donald Trump was right. Daylight Saving Time needs to go
Evidence on the health costs is piling up
Why the IMF should bail out a serial deadbeat
Under President Javier Milei, Argentina has changed