U.S. President Donald Trump has once again taken aim at Harvard University, claiming that the level of education at one of America’s most prestigious institutions has allegedly “dropped to primitive math.”
According to Trump, such trends in the education system are a clear sign of a broader crisis among the American elite and a call for urgent reform.
Harvard University is treating our country with disrespect. And every day, their behavior gets worse. I want to make Harvard great again. How can they be great right now, when just two weeks ago Harvard announced they would start teaching the lowest level of math — the simplest kind. For example, two plus two equals four. How did these people even get into Harvard if they don’t know basic math? Trump said during a recent rally.
His remarks come amid an ongoing conflict between Trump and several top U.S. universities, including Harvard, Columbia, and others that have become hotspots for pro-Palestinian student protests. The former president has repeatedly criticized university leadership for what he describes as “weakness” and “liberal ideology,” which, in his view, is “destroying the moral and intellectual foundations of the country.”
Trump’s allies have also emphasized that the American economy is currently in greater need of skilled tradespeople than liberal arts graduates. “Electricians, plumbers, and other trained professionals are far more useful to America right now,” one of his advisors noted.
The criticism of Harvard fits into a broader narrative Trump has long promoted — portraying elite institutions as out of touch with the everyday concerns of ordinary Americans and calling for sweeping changes to the values and priorities of the nation’s higher education system.
