Columbia’s Anti-Semitism Mess: Admin Coddles Bigoted Profs as Trump Threatens Cash Cut

Columbia University’s administration is in a real jam. They’re staring down the barrel of losing a hefty chunk of federal cash due to their rampant anti-Semitism mess. Naturally, they’d rather keep the funds, so they’re being dragged kicking and screaming into action. The Trump administration laid it out plain: craft plans to comply and shield Jewish students, or kiss the money goodbye. This begrudging nod to federal pressure has ruffled the feathers of some of their Leftist (and blatantly bigoted) faculty. Now, the administration—quietly simpatico with those views—is bending over backwards to soothe them, even hosting a meeting to coddle their concerns.

Behind the scenes of what Columbia president Katrina Armstrong told faculty members on Saturday — pic.twitter.com/5UeeOsm5eR

— Eliana Johnson (@elianayjohnson) March 27, 2025

“We have an unbearable situation, just truly unbearable and unwinnable situation where the work that we are moving forward and that we are doing is now seen as in response to an authoritarian regime,” Armstrong said. “Because the lawyers must write a letter in response to an…

— Eliana Johnson (@elianayjohnson) March 27, 2025

As Armstrong denied and downplayed reforms the school said it would make, one faculty member said: “There was a massive disconnect between the voice that I heard you start this meeting with, ‘We haven’t changed anything, our policies remain the same’ … and what was in the…

— Eliana Johnson (@elianayjohnson) March 27, 2025

Basically, the Administration is saying one thing publicly to try and appease federal officials, but when they got in the meeting with faculty, they gave them a little ‘wink-wink’.

Another worried that the Trump administration would catch on to the fact that “there weren’t many substantial changes.”

“I think they’re going to realize at some point there weren’t many substantial changes, as you’ve been saying. So how will we respond if they come back to us…

— Eliana Johnson (@elianayjohnson) March 27, 2025

Yet another pressed her to get with the school’s political scientists to understand the current political scene: “You’re repeating a kind of narrative of apology for being naive … that’s kind of worrying because we have to be able to count on you to understand the political…

— Eliana Johnson (@elianayjohnson) March 27, 2025

Basically, they want professors who work in the political sciences to work with Administration and train them how to fool the punditry class.

The faculty member urged Armstrong to consult with political scientists including Columbia’s Gregory Wawro and Ira Katznelson, “people who are good at understanding the workings of politics.” The two published a book together in 2022, Time Counts: Quantitative Analysis for…

— Eliana Johnson (@elianayjohnson) March 27, 2025

Link — https://t.co/WaZqXmaBQI

— Eliana Johnson (@elianayjohnson) March 27, 2025

Columbia believes Republicans and the Trump Administration are very dumb and won’t notice they have changed a bunch of nothing.

They’re going to slow walk everything over the next 4 years and run out the clock.

— Ranjit Singh (@AuthorSingh) March 27, 2025

That’s exactly their plan, if they are allowed.

The president of @Columbia is either lying to the government and the public or she is lying to her faculty.

Either way, this is an unmatched level of incompetence by the person who’s supposed to be in charge. https://t.co/UQ7Ry8Wtg2

— Shai Davidai (@ShaiDavidai) March 27, 2025