Fmr Harvard President Summers Slams Trump Actions

Former Harvard President Larry Summers has called the Trump administration’s actions on Harvard University and their high percentage of foreign students “a prescription for failure.”

Speaking to Politico in a lengthy interview on Friday, Summers applauded the university’s legal actions saying such bold maneuvers will inspire others. “Courage and capitulation are both contagious,” he said adding, “I am glad Harvard chose courage, because if Harvard, with all its good fortune, can’t resist authoritarian steps, who can?”

On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security blocked Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students, in the latest salvo between the federal government and the esteemed institution. Then on Friday, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order against the HHS over its pausing of Harvard’s access to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program following a lawsuit by the university. Nearly 30% of Harvard’s study body currently comes from other countries. “Closing yourself off from any group, and especially the 97% of the world’s population that lives outside the United States is a prescription for failure,” Summers lamented.

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