Trump vows to purge “woke, anti-American ideology” from US universities

In a new crackdown on educational institutions and their alleged ideology, United States (US) President Donald Trump has promised to eradicate what he calls "woke, socialist, and anti-American ideology" from US college campuses.

In a statement on his social media platform, ‘Truth Social’, Trump made it plain that his administration will "fix" this quickly and prioritise merit and hard work-based education over "group identity”, NDTV reports.

"My Administration is fixing this, and FAST, with our Great Reform Agenda in Higher Education. Our Nation's Great Institutions will once again prioritize Merit and Hard Work before "group identity," resulting in tremendous new Research and Opportunity to benefit all Americans, and Equality being honored in American Businesses, Courts, and Culture (sic)," he wrote in the post.

Trump promised to "forcefully" pursue federal law against universities that continue to "illegally discriminate based on race or sex”.

Following the beginning of his second term, the Trump administration took several steps to limit or reverse how federal support and regulation interact with Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) programs in higher education, including investigations, fund cuts and executive orders.

These programmes are meant to promote greater inclusion and representation of racial and gender minorities, people with disabilities, and other marginalised groups in the USA.

At the same time, Trump welcomed colleges and institutions that are prepared to "quickly return to the pursuit of truth and achievement" to reach an agreement with the federal government and contribute to the "Golden Age of Academic Excellence in Higher Education."

Institutes that reach an agreement with the government will pledge to uphold federal law and protect the civil rights of all students, teachers, and staff on campus, he stated.