A unified pushback from elite institutions is unlikely to dissuade Donald Trump from pursuing his populist fight with higher education but may slow down his attacks amid signs he is already ¡°walking back¡± some of his more extreme policies.

Universities have condemned the ¡°political interference¡± of the Republican administration and launched lawsuits against its policies in recent weeks, after Harvard 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ became the first institution to defy the unprecedented demands from the White House in exchange for federal funding.

Andrew Moran, professor of politics and international relations at London Metropolitan 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, said ¨C should any of the cases reach that far ¨C but warned this is an ¡°administration that is willing to stress-test the limits of the constitution¡±, citing its plans to close the Department of Education, which experts have repeatedly said the president doesn¡¯t have the power to do by executive order.

¡°The challenges from the administration are serious. What is at stake is the financial security of US universities, their ability to attract world-class academics, to carry out world-leading research, and to recruit the best students from around the world,¡± said Moran.

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There are hopes, however, that Trump¡¯s attacks will lose momentum. The administration has already begun restoring revoked visas for hundreds of international students which Moran said was the president ¡°walking back a little¡± on the ¡°draconian¡± measure. ¡°It might be that he will do the same with universities,¡± Moran said.

He added that the White House has discovered there are limits to its powers after being unable to end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and prevented from following through on its tariff policies by the bond markets.

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¡°If the universities are lucky, this may be another example of Trump threatening the worst and then walking back to something else, claiming, in the process, that that was the strategy all along,¡± said Moran.

John Carey, professor of social sciences at Dartmouth College, said the recent fightback was unlikely to ¡°persuade Trump of the error of his ways¡± but it might help in other ways.

The idea of coordinating collective action via a ¡°mutual defence compact¡± ¨C first suggested by Rutgers 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ ¨C has now been backed by half of the 18 institutions that make up the Big Ten conference.

¡°The newfound unity across institutions might signal to him that there are limits to the initial strategy of intimidation,¡± said Carey.

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Campus resource: Faculty must stand together to confront the American illiberal peril

Hundreds of institutions have also signed a denouncing the ¡°political interference now endangering American higher education¡±.

Meanwhile, litigation by Harvard and others with ¡°deep pockets¡± will slow Trump down and could establish precedents that protect those with?fewer?resources, added Carey.

He said that Trump was unlikely to be put off by warnings that top colleges could go under, particularly as it will take time for the economic costs to be felt.

¡°What might show up more quickly is skittishness in financial markets as investors increasingly recognise just how self-destructive this administration¡¯s policies are.¡±

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Thomas Gift, associate professor of political science at UCL, said Trump would certainly like to win his battle with Harvard, but what he most wants is ¡°the fight itself¡±.

¡°He views Harvard as a soft target, with few defenders and lots of political liabilities. Trump knows that public sentiment has soured on higher education, and he¡¯s ready to take it to task for all its worst stereotypes: as being elitist, out of touch, and far to the left ideologically.

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¡°Harvard pursuing its own lawsuits and objections in court may slow the White House down, but it won¡¯t hurt Trump with his Maga base, which is all Trump seems to care about and who are four-square behind his attacks on Harvard and other universities.¡±

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com