John Fetterman Praises Trump Denying Columbia University $400 Million Over ‘A**Holes’ Protesting: ‘I Support That’
(Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images)
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) celebrated President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would pull hundreds of millions in grants to Columbia University on Friday.
Fetterman called pro-Palestinian protesters who disrupted classes and in some cases targted Jewish students last year “assholes” and blasted the school’s leadership.
As Axios noted, the White House announced Friday the school would lose up to $400 million in federal grants for allegedly failing to maintain order and protect Jewish students on campus:
The administration cited the school’s alleged “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.” Columbia University was an epicenter last year for students protesting against the Israel-Hamas war. Trump earlier this week threatened to pull federal funding from colleges he accused of allowing “illegal protests” on campus.
Fetterman, who is staunchly pro-Israel, shared a screenshot of the Axios report and praised the Trump administration’s decision.
“Columbia let antisemitism run amok to cater to lunatic fringe and paid provocateurs,” Fetterman commented. “Leadership allowed those assholes to take over the campus and terrorize Jewish students. Now, Columbia pays for its failure and I support that.”
Protests erupted on Columbia’s New York City campus last year as students reacted to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
Police intervened last June as some students occupied a campus building. The school’s administration was accused of allowing anti-Semitism to run rampant.
An official at Columbia told Axios in a statement that the university would work with the White House to get the funding restored.
“We take Columbia’s legal obligations seriously and understand how serious this announcement is and are committed to combatting antisemitism and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our students, faculty, and staff,” the school said.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon accused Columbia of neglecting the safety of Jewish students in a Friday statement.
“Universities must comply with all federal antidiscrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding,” McMahon said. “For too long, Columbia has abandoned that obligation to Jewish students studying on its campus. Today, we demonstrate to Columbia and other universities that we will not tolerate their appalling inaction any longer.”
