Harvard President Mocks Trump in Graduation Speech

The President of Harvard, Alan Garber, sardonically mocked President Trump while congratulating students from all over the globe who were graduating from the renowned institution. 

‘From around the world,’ he repeated for emphasis. ‘Just as it should be.’ 

Students erupted in cheers and gave Garber a standing ovation as he gave the address during Harvard’s 2025 commencement. 

In his address to the graduates, Garber encouraged them to challenge their perspectives and be open to changing their views, emphasizing the importance of embracing discomfort. 

Having taken the helm of Harvard in January 2024, Garber succeeded Claudine Gay, who was removed from her position after testifying to Congress about the increasing presence of anti-Semitism on university campuses following a car accident.

Garber has gone to war with the Trump administration in recent weeks and has sued the White House over its efforts to block international students, which led the president to sever $2.2 billion in funding to Harvard earlier this month.  

The Harvard graduates gave him a hero’s welcome on stage on Thursday, shortly after U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs ruled that the Trump administration cannot make any changes to Harvard’s student visa program. 

Although Garber did not say Trump’s name, basketball hall of famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar used his speech the day before to slam the president, and compared Garber to civil rights figure Rosa Parks. 

‘When a tyrannical administration tried to bully and threaten Harvard, to revoke their academic freedom and to destroy free speech, Dr. Alan Garber rejected the illegal and immoral pressures, in the way Rosa Parks declined,’ Abdul-Jabbar said.  

Garber’s remarks come after he gave an interview with NPR, where he appeared to downplay anti-Semitism on Harvard’s campus and said the main issue has been ‘shunning.’ 

He said Israeli students have been ‘socially excluded’ once other students find out where they are from, but said violent incidents are ‘almost unheard of.’ 

This comes despite several instances of Israeli students being attacked and targeted at Harvard, including a Harvard law student being charged with assault last June while student groups also celebrated the October 7 Hamas attacks. 

In her ruling Thursday, Burroughs told Harvard and Justice Department attorneys to work out an agreement that would stop the revocation of foreign student visas. 

‘It doesn’t need to be draconian, but I want to make sure it’s worded in such a way that nothing changes,’ Burroughs said. 

‘I want to maintain the status quo.’ 

The Trump administration had tried to prevent a ruling in Harvard’s favor ahead of the mid-morning hearing by backing away from plans to immediately revoke the university’s ability to enroll international students.  

Instead Harvard was given 30 days to challenge the ban. 

Lawyers for the Justice Department argued to Burroughs that the case might be moot because of the Trump administration’s latest procedural move. 

Harvard has denied Trump administration charges of alleged bias against conservatives, fostering antisemitism on campus and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party. 

The university has said losing that right would affect about one quarter of its student body and devastate the school.

Harvard had argued that the revocation violated its free speech and due process rights under the U.S. Constitution as well as the Administrative Procedure Act, which governs agency actions.

Its lawyers said DHS regulations required providing at least 30 days to challenge the agency’s allegations, and give Harvard an opportunity to pursue an administrative appeal.

That 30 day window was offered ahead of Thursday’s court date.  

The revocation announced on May 22 was an escalation of the Trump administration’s attacks on Harvard.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based university’s lawyers have argued the agency’s action was part of an ‘unprecedented and retaliatory attack on academic freedom at Harvard,’ which is pursuing a separate lawsuit challenging the administration’s decision to terminate nearly $3 billion in federal research funding.

Harvard argues the Trump administration is retaliating against it for refusing to cede to its demands to control the school’s governance, curriculum and the ‘ideology’ of its faculty and students.

The case before Burroughs, an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama, was filed after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revoked the school’s SEVP certification.

In announcing the decision, Noem, without providing evidence, accused the university of ‘fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party.’

In a letter that day, she accused the school of refusing to comply with wide-ranging requests for information on its student visa holders, including about any activity they engaged in that was illegal or violent or that would subject them to discipline.

‘As I explained to you in my April letter, it is a privilege to enroll foreign students, and it is also a privilege to employ aliens on campus,’ she said.

Harvard said the decision was ‘devastating’ for the school and its student body. 

The university, the nation’s oldest and wealthiest, enrolled nearly 6,800 international students in its current school year, about 27 percent of its total enrollment.

The department’s move would prevent Harvard from enrolling new international students and require existing ones to transfer to other schools or lose their legal status.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday that Harvard University should have a 15 percent cap on the number of non-U.S. students it admits. 

‘Harvard has got to behave themselves,’ he said. 

Harvard University’s commencement ceremonies were happening Thursday amid the court battle. 

A number of speakers brought up the administration’s war on the university during their speeches. 

‘Part of what makes America great, if I may use that phrase, is that it allows an immigrant like me to blossom,’ said commencement speaker, Dr. Abraham Verghese, a best-selling author and Stanford expert on infectious diseases. ‘The greatness of America, the greatness of Harvard, is reflected in the fact that someone like me could be invited to speak to you.’