Today I am very proud of my alma mater, Harvard University. In the face of inappropriate threats and bullying by this rogue administration, Harvard has stood up for academic freedom, and has blocked the encroaching forces of authoritarianism.
Our American flag stands for many things. But at our best, one of those things is the right to engage in free intellectual and academic debate, without the long arm of the government dictating the limits of that debate.
That is the only way in which we can educate each new generation of young people to be capable of working through the difficult choices that we always face as a highly diverse democratic nation.
If academic discussion is hobbled by the dictates of a political order, then freedom is replaced by fear. And this administration has made it very clear what can happen to young scholars whose opinions it disagrees with.
Harvard is being brave in standing up for patriotism, for the U.S. Constitution, and for our collective right to engage in free debate in a democratic society. Let us hope that they prevail against those who are currently working to destroy our nation from within.