They're also threatening to pull their tax-exempt status [0]

[0] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/us/politics/trump-irs-har...

This is exactly what dictatorships do: comply with our demands or we will bring you down. Harvard might be able to stand up to them, but many other less wealthy universities will fold immediately.

But if the universities don't bind together and take a stand now, it will be too difficult and too late to do so later. Poor Columbia--now that Trump knows they will cower, he can make whatever demands he wants.

Don Corleone would be proud.