Obama knocks law firms, businesses that have made deals with Trump
Former President Obama criticized law firms, universities and businesses that have changed course during the Trump administration, saying they should stand by their convictions.
During an episode of the “WTF” podcast with Marc Maron released Monday, Obama said institutions should “take a stand” and uphold the law, preserve academic freedom and value diversity.
Obama said that instead of caving to the administration, universities should say, “This will hurt if we lose some grant money in the federal government, but that’s what endowments are for. Let’s see if we can ride this out, because what we’re not going to do is compromise our basic academic independence.”
Firms should also take a stand against the administration’s pressure campaign to turn away from hiring minorities and women, Obama said.
“We think it’s important, because of what this country is, to hire people from different backgrounds,” Obama said of what businesses should stand for during the second Trump administration.
Universities, law firms and other businesses have all reached agreements with the White House and changed policies to end investigations or avoid being targeted.
In July, Columbia University agreed to a $221 million settlement with the administration to restore federal funding that was revoked amid an Education Department probe into antisemitism.
Other universities, such as Harvard, Cornell and Duke, are under investigation for alleged civil rights violations. Trump said last month that his administration is “close” to finalizing a deal with Harvard that would include the school paying roughly $500 million to create trade schools.
A host of law firms have also agreed to provide pro bono services to the administration, while many major corporations have cited Trump’s executive orders cracking down on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives (DEI) in rolling back such standards.
Some of the law firms, though, have taken cases opposing his administration’s policies on immigration and transgender rights. But companies that have removed DEI programs, such as Target, Google and Amazon, have faced backlash from customers.