Obama praises elite university Harvard for stance against Trump

Former US president Barack Obama has praised Harvard University for resisting influence from the White House

"Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions – rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking concrete steps to make sure all students at Harvard can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect," Obama, an alumnus of Harvard, posted on the social media platform X on Tuesday.

"Let's hope other institutions follow suit," Obama posted.

He recently urged universities to use their endowment funds or cut costs rather than comply with demands from US President Donald Trump.

Harvard has refused to implement changes demanded by Trump, including those concerning student admissions.

In response, the US government froze funding for Harvard amounting to billions of dollars. Trump has threatened that Harvard could lose its tax exemption and be taxed as a political entity, accusing the university of having a leftist ideology.