The Left is in full panic mode again — this time over President Donald Trump’s latest move to hold elite universities like Harvard accountable. On Thursday, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) went on MSNBC’s All In and didn’t hold back, calling Trump a “dictator” for challenging Harvard’s ability to enroll international students.
Yes, you read that right — cracking down on Harvard is now considered “authoritarianism on steroids,” according to Markey.
In his interview, the Massachusetts Democrat railed against the Trump administration’s push to enforce immigration laws and make sure that universities are playing by the rules, even when it comes to foreign students.
“This is all a part of the authoritarian playbook that Trump has been seeking to execute right from January 20th on,” Markey claimed. “The problem that he has and that he’s been running into all along is that we do have a United States Constitution… requires due process with regard to any charge which is brought against any individual or institution.”
He went further, accusing Trump of violating First Amendment rights and trying to “intimidate universities” — though he didn’t explain how enforcing the law or questioning the status of foreign students amounts to crushing free speech.
Markey continued:
“By the way, these students do have First Amendment rights of free speech, which they are also seeking to circumscribe. So all of those are going to be protections which ultimately will result in Harvard winning this case…”
While Markey believes Harvard will come out on top, many conservatives see this as yet another example of the Left defending elite institutions at all costs — even when those institutions are taking advantage of immigration loopholes or failing to prioritize American students.
At the heart of the matter is the Trump administration’s decision to review whether taxpayer-funded colleges and universities are following the law when it comes to enrolling international students. This comes on the heels of mounting criticism that elite schools have become bastions of far-left ideology, silencing conservative voices and abandoning the values of free thought and rigorous academic debate.
Despite this, Markey doubled down, saying:
“That’s why we have to fight every single day against this dictator who is seeking to corrupt the very foundation of our constitutional government.”
The irony here is hard to miss. While President Trump is working to bring accountability to some of the most powerful and insulated institutions in the country, Democrats like Markey are accusing him of tyranny. Yet, these same voices had little to say when bureaucrats under previous administrations overstepped their authority or when leftist universities suppressed speech they didn’t like.
Trump supporters argue that this isn’t about authoritarianism — it’s about fairness, rule of law, and restoring integrity in America’s higher education system.
For many conservatives, the real question is this: why are Democrats so eager to shield institutions like Harvard from scrutiny?
