The University President Willing to Fight Trump

04/09/25 • 38 min

16 Listeners

Over the past few weeks, some of the most prestigious universities in the country have faced a threat to their very existence.

President Trump has frozen billions of dollars in federal funds in an attempt to rid higher education of what he calls its woke ideology.

Rachel Abrams speaks to the president of Princeton University, Christopher L. Eisgruber, who has vowed to fight.

Guest: Christopher L. Eisgruber, the president of Princeton University.

Background reading:

President Trump paused dozens of federal grants to Princeton.
Mr. Trump’s orders threaten the financial foundations of higher education, but few universities have protested openly.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Photo: Christopher Goodney/Bloomburg

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Over the past few weeks, some of the most prestigious universities in the country have faced a threat to their very existence.

President Trump has frozen billions of dollars in federal funds in an attempt to rid higher education of what he calls its woke ideology.

Rachel Abrams speaks to the president of Princeton University, Christopher L. Eisgruber, who has vowed to fight.

Guest: Christopher L. Eisgruber, the president of Princeton University.

Background reading:

President Trump paused dozens of federal grants to Princeton.
Mr. Trump’s orders threaten the financial foundations of higher education, but few universities have protested openly.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Photo: Christopher Goodney/Bloomburg

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Previous Episode

How Trump Wiped Out $10 Trillion in Wealth in 3 Days

On Monday, global stocks whipsawed over President Trump’s tariffs, a bear market briefly became official in the United States and tit-for-tat retaliation with China intensified.

As trillions of dollars in corporate value evaporates and Mr. Trump’s support in the business world is cracking, even Republican members of Congress are debating whether to take away the president’s power to wage a trade war.

Andrew Ross Sorkin, who covers business and policy, and Jonathan Swan, who covers the White House, talk through the tumultuous past few days on the stock market.

Guest:

Andrew Ross Sorkin, a columnist and the founder and editor-at-large of DealBook, which publishes the flagship business and policy newsletter of The New York Times.
Jonathan Swan, a White House reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading:

DealBook: Does Mr. Trump Have an “Off Ramp”?
What is a bear market? Are we in one?
China says it will “fight to the end” after Mr. Trump threatens more tariffs.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Photo: Timothy A. Clary/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Next Episode

A U-Turn on Tariffs

After promising that tariffs against dozens of countries were here to stay, no matter how much they hurt businesses or the stock market, President Trump has abruptly reversed course.

But there’s an exception: his levies on China, which he said he would raise to 125 percent.

Jonathan Swan, who covers the White House, explains why the president changed his mind, and David Pierson, who covers China, discusses why Beijing won’t back down.

Guest:

Jonathan Swan, a White House reporter for The New York Times.
David Pierson, a foreign correspondent for The New York Times covering China.

Background reading:

Inside President Trump’s reversal on tariffs.
The United States and China are engaged in a risky game of chicken with no off-ramp in sight.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Photo: Eric Lee/The New York Times

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.