Former Trump administration official Marc Short set the record straight on CNN Tuesday night, explaining why Harvard’s failure to address antisemitic harassment cost the Ivy League school its federal grants. Short’s remarks came after host Abby Phillip challenged the Trump administration’s decision to cut off Harvard’s research funding, questioning the connection between antisemitism and research grants.
Phillip pressed Short on whether Harvard’s loss of federal dollars—announced by Education Secretary Linda McMahon on May 6—was justified, arguing that research and student behavior were separate issues. Short pushed back, saying, “There are hundreds of public institutions who would gladly accept those research dollars and who are not hostile to Jewish students the way Harvard has been.”
Since Hamas’ deadly October 7 attack on Israel, antisemitic harassment has surged across U.S. campuses. Harvard students and pro-Hamas protesters have blocked Jewish students from parts of campus and chanted genocidal slogans. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) terminated Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification last week, citing the university’s failure to combat antisemitism and report foreign funding accurately.
Phillip tried to argue that research dollars should remain separate from campus behavior, but Short reminded her that federal funding comes with accountability. “When you’re getting federal taxpayer dollars, there are going to be strings attached to that,” Short said, adding that previous Democrat administrations had applied similar standards.
Trump has proposed redirecting $3 billion in Harvard’s grant money to trade schools, calling it a “great investment” that’s “so badly needed.” Short said the goal is simple: “They probably want Harvard not to be hostile to Jewish students as a starting point.”
Short’s defense of the Trump administration’s decision underscores a critical point: universities that accept federal funds must uphold basic standards of equality and safety for all students. Harvard’s repeated failures to protect Jewish students from harassment, combined with its refusal to provide transparency on foreign funding, created a situation where federal support could no longer be justified. The message is clear—elite institutions can no longer act as unaccountable sanctuaries for extremism while cashing in on taxpayer dollars.
