Harvard University is facing renewed backlash over Gregory Davis, a resident dean whose past remarks defending “rioting and looting” and wishing death on President Donald Trump have sparked outrage. The controversy surrounding Gregory Davis has raised serious questions about Harvard’s standards for campus leadership and student welfare.
Davis, who serves as the main liaison for Dunster House students, once tweeted, “rioting and looting are parts of democracy just like voting and marching.” In another post, he wrote, “I don’t – at all – blame people wishing Trump ill. [Expletive] that guy and [i]f he dies, he dies.”
Conservative students say these posts disqualify Davis from his position, arguing his rhetoric promotes hate and political violence. Harvard has refused to say whether it will discipline him. “These posts do not reflect my current thinking or beliefs,” Davis said in a message to students. “I regret if my statements have any negative impact on the Dunster community.”
Still, critics note that as recently as June 2024—just before his appointment—Davis urged people to “love each other and hate the police.” Other posts described “whiteness” as a “self-destructive ideology that annihilates everyone around it.”
A Harvard spokesman declined to comment on whether Davis’s remarks violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The incident comes as Harvard faces financial strain and federal scrutiny over its DEI programs, which Davis has long defended, saying, “College admissions has never been meritocratic, ever. I don’t believe that a meritocratic system is best.”
