Jun 12, 2018; Oakland, CA, USA; Lieutenant Governor of California and gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom salutes during the championship parade in downtown Oakland. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Sacramento, California – California Gov. Gavin Newsom sharply criticized President Donald Trump on Friday over what he described as an “extortion” attempt against UCLA, accusing the White House of using federal funding as leverage to force political concessions from one of the nation’s leading public universities.
Speaking at a news conference, Newsom said Trump had demanded $1 billion from UCLA to settle allegations of antisemitism in exchange for releasing hundreds of millions in frozen federal research grants. The governor characterized the move as an attack on academic independence, warning that it threatened to undermine the principles that govern public higher education.
“He has threatened us through extortion with a billion-dollar fine unless we do his bidding,” Newsom said. “We will not be complicit in this kind of attack on academic freedom on this extraordinary public institution.”
The dispute comes as UCLA faces the potential loss of more than half a billion dollars in research funding. The proposed settlement, according to a person familiar with the matter and a draft viewed by POLITICO, would require the university to pay $1 billion over three years and implement sweeping operational changes to resolve alleged civil rights violations tied to antisemitism claims.
Trump’s approach reflects a broader campaign by his administration to pressure universities over the handling of antisemitism complaints, part of an escalating clash with higher education institutions. In recent weeks, both Brown and Columbia universities agreed to multimillion-dollar settlements with the administration to restore access to frozen federal research grants and regain eligibility for new contracts. Brown settled for $50 million, while Columbia agreed to pay $200 million.
The administration is reportedly in negotiations with several other universities, including Cornell and Harvard. Critics of the settlements say the agreements amount to political interference in academic governance, while supporters argue they are necessary to address campus discrimination.
Newsom, who serves as an ex-officio member of the University of California Board of Regents, has previously condemned Trump’s decision to freeze UCLA’s federal funding. On Thursday, he signaled his hope that the university would resist pressure to accept a settlement.
“I’ll do everything in my power to encourage them to do the right thing and not to become another law firm that bends on their knees, another company that sells their soul, or another institution that takes the easy wrong versus the hard right,” Newsom said.
The standoff between Sacramento and Washington over UCLA’s funding could set the stage for a broader legal and political fight, one that will test the balance between federal authority and university autonomy at a moment of heightened national tension over free speech and discrimination on campus.
