All posts tagged "lawrence summers"

'Proud' Harvard alumni cheer school for standing up to Trump

Notable Harvard alumni applauded their university Monday after news that the Ivy League school would not capitulate to the Trump administration's anti-DEI initiatives for $9 billion in federal funding.

Trump threatened to pull the $9 billion if Harvard did not do away with their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, or crack down on student protests like the pro-Palestinian demonstrations against the continued retaliatory bombing of Gaza.

The university released a statement saying, "The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government."

Bill Kristol with The Washington Post wrote on social media, "Plenty of complaints about Harvard over the years, but a proud Harvard alum today."

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Harvard President Emeritus Lawrence Summers posted, "Very glad to see President Garber leading Harvard and I hope all universities in resisting extralegal and unreasonable demands from the federal government."

"I’m particularly proud right now to be a graduate of Harvard College. Thank you, President Garber," posted attorney and anti-Trump conservative pundit George Conway.

Legal scholar Lawrence Tribe, who taught Constitutional Law at Harvard for 50 years, wrote, “If you’ve never given to Harvard, GIVE NOW!"

Others, whose resumes did not include a Harvard education, also had praise for the school.

The Brookings Institution fellow and The Atlantic writer Quinta Jurecic wrote, "infuriating that I must hand it to harvard," while technology reporter Kara Swisher wrote, "Finally Harvard lives up to its motto: Veritas."

Jeffrey A. Sachs, a professor at Canada's Acadia University, quipped, "I can’t believe I’m saying this but go Harvard."

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) posted, "Congratulations to Harvard for refusing to relinquish its constitutional rights to Trump’s authoritarianism. Other universities should follow their lead. And instead of doing pro bono work for Trump, cowardly law firms should be defending those who believe in the rule of law."

Last month, Columbia University was roundly criticized for surrendering to Trump's anti-DEI terms in order to keep $400 million in federal funding.

'You're just okay with it?' CNN host hammers ex-Trump foe for now bending knee to Musk

CNN anchor Kate Bolduan asked former Clinton Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers to weigh in on the fatalistic views held by some Republicans when it comes to Elon Musk having access to sensitive government information.

On Tuesday's News Central, Bolduan began, "Just earlier in the show, Secretary, I had the former Republican Governor of New Hampshire on, Chris Sununu, and he campaigned against Donald Trump ... he was for Nikki Haley. So, he says he doesn't like him, but he now says that this does not worry him at all.

"He actually applauds Elon Musk's move going into the Treasury and going into this payment system."

Bolduan then played a clip of her confrontation with Sununu.

"Do you know how many people have your Social Security number right now?" Sununu said.

"So, you're just saying, 'Cool?" Bolduan countered.

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"I'm saying I don't like it, but that's the society we live in. I mean, it really is, guys. So many people that you don't know that have no security clearance, have all that information. Don't fool yourself."

"You're just okay with it? You're just okay with him having access to the Treasury Department information?" Bolduan pressed.

"I understand that about a million people have access to my Social Security number right now. And if you don't think that's the case, America, I'm sorry. It just is."

After the clip finished, Bolduan asked Summers what he thought of Sununu's assertion.

"I think there needs to be a lot of reform," Summers said. "There are a lot of wasteful payments the government makes. The government's computer systems could be modernized and upgraded — but that's no excuse for abandoning the rule of law. That's no excuse for allowing the president to do what the Supreme Court rejected when Richard Nixon did it in terms of just cutting off payments. That's no excuse for not vetting the people who are doing it. That's no excuse for politicizing positions that have been held as nonpolitical positions for the last 75 years."

Summers concluded, "What we need for the country is, find the will to reform, but to do it in ways that are legal."

Watch the clip below via CNN.

'Absurd': Ex-Treasury secretary says Trump's plan will drive allies into 'China's arms'

The "major winner" in Donald Trump's trade war will be Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to Lawrence Summers, former treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton.

Summers spoke with CNN's Boris Sanchez on Monday.

"I do wonder what you make of Trump and some of his administration officials saying that Canada is inciting this trade war through their actions. Do you see it that way at all?" Sanchez asked.

Summers answered, "It's absurd. Canada is our friend. Canada is not an important source of illegal immigrants. Canada is not an important source of illegal drugs. Canada is an important market for American products. Canada is a crucial co-producer with American automobile companies that enable North America to compete with Asia and Europe. This whole policy is of the 'stop, or I'll shoot myself in the foot,' kind. It represents a self-inflicted supply shock, a wound on the American economy. It is very dangerous. The major winner will be Xi Jinping.

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"Why do you say that?" Sanchez asked.

"Because we are, with our tariffs on China, giving him an excuse for their poor economic performance and ability to blame it on us, because by alienating all our traditional allies and creating uncertainty about whether we can be relied on, we're driving people into China's arms."

Summers said Americans will start feeling the financial impact of the tariffs "within a small number of weeks."

He posted to X, "It is pretty rare to formulate a policy that is lose for American consumers, lose for American producers, lose for American influence in the world and only is benefiting our adversaries who are getting a great deal of satisfaction out of seeing this spectacle of traditional alliances being torn apart with these kind of threats."

The tariffs on Canada and China were set to go into effect at midnight Monday. Mexico worked out a one-month reprieve with Trump in exchange for 10,000 Mexican National Guards troops at the border.

Watch the clip below via CNN.