In this episode of “The No-Longer-Hallowed Halls of Academia”…
In a bit of a surprise move, Harvard University president Alan M. Garber reportedly told faculty members in a closed meeting that they need to rethink their messaging following President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive win in the 2024 general election, which also saw multiple down-ballot GOP wins, resulting into regaining control of the Senate and retaining the House.
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Translation: Garber reads the writing on the wall.
Garber reportedly described his take on the post-election mood in Washington, D.C., which he said was the greatest threat to the university in recent memory, the Harvard Crimson reported (emphasis, mine).
At the FAS [Faculty of Arts and Sciences] meeting on Dec. 3, Garber said he met with roughly 40 members of Congress during six trips to Washington since becoming [Harvard] president. Garber said he emerged from the conversations convinced there was bipartisan frustration with Harvard and acknowledged that he believes the criticisms contain elements of truth.
Garber’s remarks — among his first since President-elect Donald Trump won a second term in the White House — suggest Harvard’s leaders are reevaluating their public messaging in the face of an increasingly hostile climate in Washington.
During his remarks, Garber said that the University’s communications strategy has not worked as well as its leaders had thought.
Details of the meeting were relayed to The Crimson by three faculty attendees who were granted anonymity to describe Garber’s private remarks to the FAS.
The Crimson reported Garber saw last month’s election results as an “anti-elite repudiation by the American electorate,” and said Harvard “must listen to public criticism with ’empathy and humility.'”
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So let’s analyze the bolded parts of the block quote above.
It’s no surprise that Republican members of Congress, along with Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, are beyond frustrated with the no-longer-hallowed halls of academia, including Harvard, but it does come as somewhat of a surprise that Garber suggested Democrat members are also frustrated Harvard, and by extension, other universities and college, as well.
This could be for several reasons, including that many “moderate” Democrats have been held hostage by the radical faction of their party, including the likes of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley.
Or, perhaps more than a few “moderate” Democrats in Congress agree with most of the bile spewed by radical, far-left professors but would like to see elitist academics turn down the volume a bit, given the repudiation of the Democrat Party in the election.
It’s important to note that while Garber admitted Harvard’s communications strategy has not worked as well as its leaders originally thought, he did not provide details on how Harvard would modify its messaging going forward.
Still, the Harvard Crimson wrote:
Garber’s conciliatory tone suggests he intends to take a diplomatic approach — rather than a defiant one — as he interacts with an incoming presidential administration that has Harvard in its crosshairs.
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“Conciliatory tone.” Interesting. And not uncommon on the left following what some call a “mandate” for Trump.
As I reported on Thursday, Facebook co-founder and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms (DBA: Meta, formerly named Facebook, Inc.) jetted to Florida for a private meeting with Trump and donated a measly million dollars to the incoming president’s inaugural fund. This was Zuckerberg’s latest attempt to make amends with Trump after admitting to Congress that Facebook censored users at the request of the Biden administration.
READ MORE: Oh, Please: Zuckerberg Kicks in $1 Million Peace Offering to Trump’s Inauguration Fund
Similarly, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, long a foe of the president-elect, congratulated Trump on X after the election for “an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory,” and said this month that he’s “actually very optimistic this time around.”
Speaking at a New York Times conference, he said: “What I’ve seen so far is that he is calmer than he was the first time and more confident, more settled.”
The Bottom Line
The list of people like Harvard President Alan Garber, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is long, but the reason they’re lining up to make a pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago to kiss Trump’s ring is short:
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Smart left-wingers who have more to lose than gain are well aware that they don’t have a strong hand against a man who overcame incredible hurdles to become the 47th president of the United States. They also know if they get crosswise with Donald J. Trump, they’re going to lose.
