The war between Donald Trump and elite American universities is a contest of wills that some of these schools, as of now, seem committed to losing. The Trump administration intuited correctly that these institutions were fundamentally weak. This is what a good bully does: sniffs out a vulnerability and exploits it.

Consider the $200 million settlement that Columbia, one of the richest, most powerful, and most revered universities in the world, just reached with the Trump administration. It will pay $200 million to the government to end specious federal antisemitism investigations and an additional $21 million to settle employment-discrimination claims. An independent monitor will report to the administration on the university’s compliance with the deal. Columbia’s leadership ultimatel

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