Obama Tears Into Universities For Being 'Bullied' By Trump Administration: 'Basic Academic Independence' Shouldn't Be Compromised

Former President Barack Obama on Monday criticized law firms, universities and businesses that have shifted course under President Donald Trump, urging them to hold to their values despite political pressure.

Obama Urges Institutions To Resist Political Pressure

On the final episode of Marc Maron's "WTF" podcast that was aired on Monday, Obama said firms should resist pressure campaigns on hiring, arguing organizations shouldn't be "bullied into" limiting whom they recruit or promote. "We all have this capacity, I think, to take a stand," he added in the wide-ranging conversation, which also touched on democratic norms.

The former president urged universities to concede that standing up to the administration may result in losing some federal grant money, but endowments exist for moments like this. They should ride out the pressure, he said, and refuse to compromise their “basic academic independence.”

Obama adds that he understands people want to avoid backlash, but argues the moment doesn't demand heroic sacrifice. "We're not at the stage where you have to be like Nelson Mandela and be in a 10-by-12 jail cell for 27 years and break rocks," he said.

Settlements And Federal Probes Reshape Campus Policies

His remarks come as several elite institutions have cut deals with the White House or altered policies amid investigations and funding freezes. Columbia University agreed in July to a $221 million settlement with the administration to restore grants, while the White House has sought fines or concessions from other campuses. Harvard has said a tentative agreement is "close," with the school paying $500 million and launching trade-school programs.

Separately, as per a Reuters report from July, the Education Department has opened civil-rights probes at multiple institutions, including Duke and Cornell, as part of a broader federal campaign scrutinizing campus policies on antisemitism and diversity.

DEI Retrenchment Spreads To Law Firms, Corporations

The legal industry has also felt the squeeze. Reuters has reported that major firms scaled back DEI initiatives and certain pro bono matters after confrontations with the administration.

Several high-profile companies, including Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META), Target Corp (NYSE:TGT) and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), have also trimmed diversity programs this year, citing federal pressure and executive orders targeting DEI.