Columbia University announced last week that it was implementing a series of reforms aimed at combating antisemitism on campus. The arrangement, which has officially been approved by President Donald Trump, will have Columbia pay a $221 million fine and share their hiring and admissions data with federal authorities. Center for Educational Opportunity Chair Erika Donalds told Newsmax on Thursday that "the Trump administration is fighting for America First interests."
"And that's what the American people elected him to do. And so all of these negotiations with Columbia, with Harvard, are around ensuring that when you receive federal funds, you are using those funds to advance American interests," Donalds, wife of Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate Rep. Byron Donalds, said during an appearance on "Wake Up America."
"In the case of Harvard, with the investigation that [Secretary of State] Marco Rubio has launched, it's to ensure that if they are taking foreign students that they are protecting Americans and American interests by ensuring they are transparent in their reporting – and they are monitoring these students as they are supposed to do under the law."
While the current deal with Columbia is said to be less burdensome than the original list of demands the Trump administration gave the university earlier in the year, Columbia will still need to have its curriculum reviewed to monitor instances of bias.
"With Columbia, it's great to see that they have finally come to agreement with the federal government to restore their funding to combat antisemitism on their campus and eliminate their DEI programs in hiring and in admissions," Donalds added.
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James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.