On Thursday, President Trump signed an Executive Order that will block federal grants from colleges and universities that repress free speech.
In order to get research grants, the schools must certify that they promote free speech. (Don’t bother applying Berkeley) Universities used to be bastions of free speech and thought, but today they are strongholds for liberalism, where any other ideology is rejected. Schools will not be forced to allow free speech, but it will mean the loss of research grants.
Trump said: “Today, we are delivering a clear message to the professors and power structures trying to suppress, to keep young Americans and all Americans from challenging ridged far left ideology. People who are confident in their beliefs cannot censor others.”
The executive order signed by the president requires universities to certify that they support free speech on campus in order to receive federal research grants.
“Taxpayer dollars should not subsidize anti-First amendment institutions, and that’s exactly what they are,” Trump said. “Universities that want taxpayer dollars should promote free speech, not silence free speech.”
The president said that the $35 billion in federal government research grants would only be given to colleges that could certify their support of free speech and the open exchange of ideas.
“If a college or a university does not allow you to speak, we will not give them money, it’s very simple,” Trump said.
He welcomed three student activists on stage to speak, following news of their public fights against university bureaucrats who tried to silence them.
“Under the guise of speech codes and safe spaces and trigger warnings, these universities have tried to restrict free thought, impose total conformity and shut down the voices of great young Americans like those here today,” Trump said. “All of that changes starting right now.”