Trump says he'll 'fire the radical left' from colleges, focus on 'defending' American 'tradition' if elected

TRUMP SLAMS COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY FOR CLOSING CAMPUS AMID ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS: 'MEANS THE OTHER SIDE WINS'

"For galore years, tuition costs astatine colleges and universities person been exploding and I mean perfectly exploding," Trump said. "While academics person been obsessed pinch indoctrinating America's youth, nan clip has travel to reclaim our erstwhile awesome acquisition institutions from nan extremist left. And we will do that." 

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a 2024 predetermination run rally successful Waco, Texas, March 25, 2023.  (SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump said his "secret weapon" will beryllium nan "college legalization system," which he says is called "accreditation for a reason." 

"The accreditors are expected to guarantee that schools are not ripping disconnected students and taxpayers, but they person grounded totally," Trump said. 

Accreditation is simply a third-party reappraisal process to reappraisal whether acquisition programs meet defined standards of quality. 

"When I return to nan White House, I will occurrence nan extremist left, accreditors that person allowed our colleges to go dominated by Marxist maniacs and lunatics," nan erstwhile president continued. "We will past judge applications for caller accreditors who will enforce existent standards connected colleges erstwhile again, and erstwhile and for all." 

Trump said nan standards would see "defending nan American contented and Western civilization, protecting free speech, eliminating wasteful administrative positions that thrust up costs, incredibly, removing each Marxist diversity, equity and inclusion bureaucrats, offering options for accelerated and debased costs degrees, providing meaningful occupation placement and profession services, and implementing assemblage entranceway and exit exams to beryllium that students are really learning and getting their money's worth." 

Trump besides said, if elected, he would nonstop nan Justice Department to "pursue national civilian authorities cases against schools that proceed to prosecute successful group discrimination." 

Anti-Israel agitators conception an encampment connected Columbia University’s field successful New York City connected Monday, April 22, 2024.  The assemblage announced that each classes would beryllium held virtually coming successful consequence to nan ongoing demonstrations connected campus. (Peter Gerber)

Trump added that schools "that persist successful explicit, unlawful favoritism nether nan guise of equity will not only person their endowments taxed, but done fund reconciliation." 

Trump said he would beforehand a measurement to person universities "fined up to nan full magnitude of their endowment." 

"A information of nan seized costs will past beryllium utilized for restitution for victims of these forbidden and cruel policies--policies that wounded our state truthful badly," he said. 

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MOVES TO HYBRID LEARNING ON MAIN CAMPUS AMID ANTISEMITIC PROTESTS

"Colleges person gotten hundreds of billions of dollars from hardworking taxpayers, and now we are going to get this anti-American insanity retired of our institutions erstwhile and for all," he continued. "We are going to person existent acquisition successful America." 

The erstwhile president’s argumentation video was posted to Truth Social Tuesday afternoon, soon earlier he blasted Columbia University for moving its classes virtual amid days and days of monolithic pro-Gaza protests connected campus. 

"They’re closing Columbia now? I mean, it’s conscionable crazy," Trump said. "Columbia should summation a small strength, a small courageousness and support their schoolhouse open." 

Anti-Israel agitators conception an encampment connected Columbia University’s field successful New York City connected Monday, April 22, 2024.  The assemblage announced that each classes would beryllium held virtually coming successful consequence to nan ongoing demonstrations connected campus. (Peter Gerber)

Trump’s comments came aft students astatine Columbia University were instructed that classes had shifted to virtual aliases hybrid amid ongoing information concerns stemming from nan anti-Israel protests filling nan campus. 

"It’s crazy because that intends nan different broadside wins," Trump said Tuesday. "When you commencement closing down colleges and universities—that intends nan different broadside [wins.]" 

"The group moving Columbia person made a sedate mistake," Trump said. 

Law enforcement officers artifact a thoroughfare during a protestation against a draught measure connected "foreign agents" successful Tbilisi, Georgia April 15, 2024. (REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze)

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Columbia University’s updated guidelines, arsenic of Tuesday morning, said each courses connected nan Morningside main field person moved to hybrid learning "until nan extremity of each school’s Spring 2024 semester."

"Safety is our highest privilege arsenic we strive to support our students’ learning and each nan required world operations," nan school's Provost Angela Olinto wrote successful a connection released early Tuesday morning. "It’s captious that school and learning proceed during this time."