Trump threatens to cut U.S. federal funding for schools allowing ‘illegal protests’

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday, March 4, that he will cut funding for American-owned schools that allow “illegal protests”. 

“All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. 

“Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS!” he added. 
 

Trump has repeatedly threatened to turn the US education system upside down, including by defunding the entire Department of Education and returning all control over the curriculum to individual states. 

The Republican has previously threatened to cut government funds to US colleges, schools and universities over teachings on gender and race, if they allow transgender athletes to compete on girls’ sports teams, or if they insist on Covid-19 vaccine mandates. 

His latest statement came after US campuses were roiled last year by student protests against Israel’s war in Gaza, which ignited accusations of anti-Semitism. 

On Monday the US government said it was considering scrapping more than more than $50 million in contracts with New York’s Columbia University over allegations it failed to protect Jewish students.