California Governor Gavin Newsom Calls for Garber’s Resignation Over Potential Trump Deal

California Governor Gavin C. Newsom on Tuesday called on Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 to resign over reports that the University was nearing a deal with the Trump administration — joining a chorus of Democrats who have stepped up pressure on Harvard not to settle.

“An absolute failure of leadership that will have demonstrable impacts to higher education across our country,” Newsom wrote in a post on X. “He should be ashamed.”

Harvard and the Trump administration restarted negotiations in June to restore billions of dollars in research funding, and the White House has asked for a hefty payout, reportedly to the tune of $500 million. Both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal reported this weekend that the parties are close to finalizing an agreement.

When news first emerged that Harvard was considering a negotiated resolution, it sparked a fresh round of uproar from opponents of a compromise with the Trump administration. In recent weeks, Democratic politicians have worked to pressure the University against complying with the White House. Two weeks ago, 14 Democratic Harvard alumni in Congress threatened to investigate the University if it agreed to a settlement with Trump.

Newsom — a plausible contender to lead the Democratic ticket in 2028, who has alternately flirted with right-wing views and positioned himself at the vanguard of anti-Trump resistance — seemed eager to wade into the Harvard fight. On Tuesday, he joined the ranks of critics who argue that a prospective deal with Trump is equivalent to acquiescence.

“You don’t work with Donald Trump — only FOR Donald Trump,” Newsom wrote. “Looks like Harvard has chosen to surrender.”

Newsom’s office did not respond to a request for comment, and University spokespeople declined to comment on the post.

But it’s not clear whether the opposition from Democrats, who are out of power across all three branches of the federal government, will have an effect.

Three of Harvard’s Ivy League peers cut deals with the White House this summer, and two — Brown University and Columbia University — agreed to monetary settlements. Columbia paid a $200 million settlement and agreed to share admissions data, restrict student protests, review academic programs, and appoint an external monitor to oversee compliance with the agreement. Brown’s $50 million commitment to workforce development program in Rhode Island is more similar to the terms Harvard is reportedly seeking.

The concessions may have emboldened the White House to demand payments from more universities.

Newsom’s Tuesday post was also occasioned by reports that the Trump administration is seeking a $1 billion settlement from the University of California, Los Angeles, in order to restore more than $500 million in slashed research funding. (A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the funding restored.)

“CALIFORNIA WILL NEVER BEND THE KNEE,” Newsom wrote.

Newsom has threatened to sue in response to the demands for a settlement, adding to the 37 lawsuits that state has filed against the administration.

In 2005, Newsom — then the mayor of San Francisco — spoke at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at Harvard's Institute of Politics. By Jessica E. Zbikowski

Concessions from Harvard would be doubly significant because of the prominence of the University’s initial decision not to comply with the Trump administration.

In March and early April, when it was not yet clear whether Harvard would concede to demands from the federal government, faculty and the Cambridge City Council organized a rally in Cambridge Common calling on the University to resist.

When Harvard refused a set of particularly far-reaching demands two weeks into April — and later sued the Trump administration twice — its apparent defiance drew cheers from the City Council, Massachusetts Democrats, and left-leaning politicians nationwide.

Now, Harvard’s leaders are trying to blunt the possibility of backlash to a deal that, to critics, might smell too strongly of capitulation. One faculty member who spoke with Garber said he suggested that Harvard was not considering the $500 million ask — though a Harvard spokesperson subsequently disputed the characterization. The Journal and the Times both reported that Harvard is not likely to accept an external monitor like Columbia’s.

Garber and other Harvard officials have repeatedly said that the University will not compromise its academic freedom, but similar statements from Brown and Columbia have left some affiliates wondering exactly what Harvard remains committed to. Harvard has already rebranded and restructured its diversity offices and pushed out the leaders of programs studying the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Some faculty, especially those who are sympathetic to at least some federal demands, see a deal as a pragmatic move to make necessary reforms and restart research that has been devastated by federal cuts. But large groups of students, faculty, and alumni have rallied against an agreement.

The anti-Trump alumni group Crimson Courage circulated a sign-on letter two weeks ago calling for Harvard leaders to “reject political interference in University decision-making” and “protect students, faculty, researchers and staff” from federal actions.

Crimson Courage sent a similar letter in June — just days after President Trump first alluded to a deal with the University — urging the University not to compromise their commitment to academic freedom.

“We cannot stand for ‘veritas’ if we refuse to stand up for truth when the moment demands it or if we dilute our values because it is expedient,” the group wrote in the letter.

And Students for Freedom — an unrecognized organization formed this spring— sent a July 4 letter urging Harvard not to cave to federal demands, which has garnered almost 300 signatures.

Some faculty warned that, if Harvard struck a deal with Trump, it could set a precedent for other universities — and do little to dissuade further demands.

“Extortion payments are rarely a one-time affair,” wrote Harvard’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, which has mounted its own lawsuit against the Trump administration.

—Staff writer Megan L. Blonigen can be reached at megan.blonigen@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @MeganBlonigen.

—Staff writer Frances Y. Yong can be reached at frances.yong@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @frances_yong_.