What's in the $200m deal Trump has struck with Columbia University?
The deal, agreed on Wednesday, comes after sweeping university campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza during the spring and summer of 2024 and this year were criticised as veering into anti-Semitism.
In February, the government cut $400m in federal research funding for Columbia in a bid to force its administrators to respond to alleged harassment of Jewish students and faculty.
The unprecedented agreement marks a victory in Trump's efforts to exert greater control over higher education, including campus activism, and could offer a framework for future deals with other universities.
What's in the deal Trump has struck with Columbia?
Columbia has agreed to pay $200m to the government over three years, as well as making a separate $21m payment to settle claims by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
In exchange, the 'vast majority' of the frozen $400m in federal funding will be reinstated, the university said. Columbia will also regain access to billions of dollars' worth of current and future grants under the deal.
Columbia is required, within 30 days, to appoint an administrator who will report to the university president and will be responsible for overseeing the deal's compliance. This includes verifying that the institution ends programmes that promote 'unlawful efforts to achieve race-based outcomes, quotas [and] diversity targets'.
Additionally, Columbia must review its Middle East curriculum to make sure it is 'comprehensive and balanced' and appoint new faculty staff to its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies.
Columbia said the agreement establishes Bart Schwartz, of the compliance firm Guidepost Solutions, as an independent monitor who will report to the government on its progress every six months.
The university will be expected to compile a report for the monitor to ensure its programmes 'do not promote unlawful DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] goals'.
Why have they come to this agreement?
Columbia said the agreement formalises already-announced reforms to address harassment of Jewish students and staff, including the hiring of additional public safety personnel, changes to disciplinary processes, and efforts to foster 'an inclusive and respectful learning environment'.
The dispute between Columbia and the Trump administration began after Jewish students and faculty complained of harassment on campus by pro-Palestine demonstrators, while pro-Palestinian advocates accused critics of often wrongly conflating opposition to Israel with the hatred of Jews.
Columbia's acting president, Claire Shipman, said the agreement marked 'an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty'.
'The settlement was carefully crafted to protect the values that define us and allow our essential research partnership with the federal government to get back on track. Importantly, it safeguards our independence, a critical condition for academic excellence and scholarly exploration, work that is vital to the public interest,' she added.
Trump hailed the settlement as 'historic' in a post on his Truth Social platform. 'Numerous other Higher Education Institutions that have hurt so many, and been so unfair and unjust, and have wrongly spent federal money, much of it from our government, are upcoming,' he wrote.
How have students and activists reacted?
Student activist group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) slammed the settlement as 'a bribe'. 'Imagine selling your students out just so you can pay Trump $221 million dollars and keep funding genocide,' the group wrote on X.
It added that Columbia's disciplinary action against students, including suspensions and expulsions, this week was a punishment that 'hugely' exceeded the precedent for non-Palestine-related demonstrations.
Non-governmental organisation Palestine Legal accused Columbia of 'weaponising claims of antisemitism to punish those calling for freedom for Palestinians'.
'It is clear that Columbia's desire to create a community 'where all feel welcome' doesn't extend to students who call for an end to Israel's genocide,' the group posted on X.
Hasan Piker, a left-wing activist, political commentator and a critic of Trump, said the US president was 'underwater on everything and Columbia is still caving to Trump on everything', adding 'it seems like some of these institutions were looking for the pretext to go right'.
What steps has Columbia already taken to pacify the Trump administration?
In March, Columbia agreed to a list of demands laid down by Trump in return for negotiations to reinstate its $400m federal funding, which he had revoked a month before, citing 'a failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment'.
Among other concessions, the university agreed to ban face mask coverings during protests, as well as to install 36 campus police officers with special powers to arrest students.
Earlier this month, Columbia adopted a controversial definition of anti-Semitism drafted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which has been criticised for what some say is conflating criticism of the state of Israel and Zionism with anti-Semitism.
Critics have warned that the definition could be used to stifle dissent and curb academic freedom. In a letter sent to the United Nations in 2023, 60 human and civil rights organisations said the definition should not be used.
'The IHRA definition has often been used to wrongly label criticism of Israel as antisemitic, and thus chill and sometimes suppress, non-violent protest, activism and speech critical of Israel and/or Zionism, including in the US and Europe,' they wrote.
On Tuesday, Columbia also announced it would suspend, expel or revoke degrees for nearly 80 students who participated in a Butler Library demonstration on its campus on May 7, 2025 and a 'Revolt for Rafah' encampment on May 31, 2024 during the university's annual alumni weekend.
During protests, students demanded that the university's $14.8bn endowment stop investing in weapons makers and other companies that support Israel.
Protest organiser and former student Mahmoud Khalil, 29, was the first person to be detained during the Trump administration's push to deport pro-Palestinian activists who are not US citizens.
The school also said it would no longer engage with pro-Palestinian group CUAD.
Which other universities has Trump set his sights on, and why?
The Trump administration is focusing attention on 10 universities that it deems noteworthy in its campaign to root out anti-Semitism. These are Columbia; George Washington University; Harvard; Johns Hopkins University; New York University; Northwestern; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of Minnesota; and the University of Southern California.
Columbia University was the first college to see its funding slashed, but several Ivy League schools have been subjected to or threatened with funding cuts since Trump took office in January 2024.
More than $2bn in total was frozen for Cornell, Northwestern, Brown and Princeton universities.
In April, the administration also threatened to freeze $510m in grants to Brown University over alleged violations 'relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination'.
Harvard University was the first – and has so far been the only – major higher education institution to defy Trump's demands and fight back in federal court.
This week, it argued in federal court that the Trump administration had illegally cut $2.6bn in funding in what were politically motivated attempts to reshape the institution.
Are deals with other universities expected as well?
Some universities are also believed to be in talks with the Trump administration, so more deals could be forthcoming.
In particular, US news outlets have reported that officials from the Trump administration and Harvard are continuing negotiations, despite the court case brought by Harvard.
In June, Trump posted on social media that 'if a Settlement is made on the basis that is currently being discussed, it will be 'mindbogglingly' HISTORIC, and very good for our Country'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
29 minutes ago
- Al Jazeera
Why Trump's secondary tariffs on Russia could bite the US, its allies too
Top United States diplomatic negotiator Steve Witkoff visited Moscow on Wednesday in a last-ditch push to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine before an August 8 deadline set by President Donald Trump. After Witkoff's meeting with Putin, the White House said that Russia had sought a meeting with Trump. The US president, the White House said, was open to meeting both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump, who during his re-election campaign had promised he would be able to end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours if he came to power, has so far failed to mediate a truce despite months of hectic diplomacy, direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv, and phone calls with Putin. Increasingly frustrated by Putin's unwillingness to agree to a pause in fighting without imposing conditions unacceptable to Ukraine or the West, Trump has threatened a new wave of economic measures punishing Russia if it does not accept a ceasefire. Since Russia's full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the US and its allies, including the United Kingdom and the European Union, have imposed more than 21,000 sanctions on Russia's economy. The new tariffs Trump has threatened are unlike any of those earlier sanctions, however. They target Russia by hitting out against its trading partners, in the hope that they will stop buying from or selling to Moscow. But these secondary tariffs also carry risks for the US and its allies. What are the secondary tariffs Trump is threatening? In mid-July, as peace talks stalled despite Trump's efforts, the US president threatened Russia with 100 percent secondary tariffs if it did not work towards a ceasefire. He gave the Kremlin a 50-day deadline to cooperate. After Moscow suggested that it wouldn't bow to US pressure, Trump moved up the deadline, which now expires on August 8. It is unclear if Trump's openness to talks with Putin and Zelenskyy following Witkoff's Moscow visit has changed that deadline. On Wednesday, Trump doubled the tariff rate on Indian imports from 25 percent – which he had announced in late July – to 50 percent, as punishment for New Delhi's refusal to stop buying Russian oil. That makes India the country facing the highest US tariffs at present – along with Brazil. If Trump's secondary tariffs go into effect, goods that the US imports from countries still trading with Russia would face duties of 100 percent on top of the tariffs Trump has already imposed on those nations. That would at least double the price of those products, making them less competitive in the US market. The idea behind these tariffs is to persuade Russia's trading partners to stop buying and selling with the country, isolating its economy and depriving it of revenue it earns from exports, especially from energy. Despite the sanctions it already faces, Russia has consistently earned more than 500 million euros ($580m) a day from energy exports since 2022. That will be disrupted if countries stop buying all oil and gas from Russia. Which countries could Trump's secondary tariffs hit? The countries most affected by such secondary tariffs would be: China: Russia's most important ally, China is by far the largest consumer of its northern neighbour's exports. In 2023, China bought almost a third of all Russian exports. It also bought almost half of Russia's oil exports. India: An old friend, India has been buying up large volumes of Russian crude since 2022, including almost 40 percent of Russia's total oil exports in 2023. That year, 17 percent of Russia's overall exports went to India. Trump had already imposed a 25 percent tariff on Indian goods. On Wednesday, he doubled that rate as punishment for India's continued oil purchases from Russia. Turkiye: The third-largest buyer of Russian energy, 8 percent of Russia's exports in 2023 went to Turkiye. It is a NATO ally of the US. Turkiye isn't the only ally that could be hit if Trump truly targets all those who trade with Russia. Could US allies be hit? Pushing back against Western threats over its ties with Russia, India has pointed to the EU's own trade with Moscow. And while that trade has plummeted since 2022, it is still substantial. According to the EU, its total trade with Russia was worth 67.5 billion euros ($77.9bn) in 2024. India's total trade with Russia in 2024-25, by contrast, was worth $68.7bn. The bloc still relies heavily on Russia for its liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies. In fact, its import of Russian LNG has been rising: In 2024, EU imports of Russian LNG were 9 percent higher than the year before. Europe has already been hit with a 15 percent tariff from Trump. Will Trump punish his closest supporters to pressure Russia to end the war? Could the US face risks, too? It is not just allies – secondary tariffs on those who trade with Russia carry risks for the US itself, too. Trump's team is currently working on a trade deal with China, and those talks have led to a pause in a tariff war between the world's two largest economies. That detente would break down if Trump imposes 100 percent tariffs on Chinese goods simply because Beijing also trades with Russia. China, Europe and India are all major suppliers of goods to the US: If the cost of those products – from clothes to lamps to iPhones – doubles, American consumers will feel the pinch. The US also buys chemicals, including uranium hexafluoride – used in uranium enrichment – from Russia. Will India and China stop buying Russian energy? That looks unlikely. China continues to buy oil from Iran, despite US sanctions – and Russia is arguably its closest strategic partner. India has also shown no sign of loosening its ties with Russia. Witkoff isn't the only foreign envoy visiting Moscow at the moment. India's national security adviser, Ajit Doval, is also in the Russian capital. India's foreign minister, S Jaishankar, is expected to visit Russia later this month, and India has announced that it intends to host Putin later this year. On Wednesday, India described Trump's 50 percent tariff as 'unfair, unjustified and unreasonable', adding that its purchase of Russian oil was rooted in its desire for energy security for its 1.4 billion people.
Al Jazeera
29 minutes ago
- Al Jazeera
Trump announces 100 percent tariff on semiconductor imports
United States President Donald Trump says he will impose a 100 percent tariff on foreign-made semiconductors, although exemptions will be made for companies that have invested in the US. 'We'll be putting a tariff on of approximately 100 percent on chips and semiconductors, but if you're building in the United States of America, there's no charge, even though you're building and you're not producing yet,' Trump told reporters at the Oval Office on Wednesday evening. The news came after a separate announcement that Apple would invest $600bn in the US, but it was not unexpected by US observers. Trump told CNBC on Tuesday that he planned to unveil a new tariff on semiconductors 'within the next week or so' without offering further details. Details were also scant at the Oval Office about how and when the tariffs will go into effect, but Asia's semiconductor powerhouses were quick to respond about the potential impact. Taiwan, home of the world's largest chipmaker TSMC, said that the company would be exempt from the tariff due to its existing investments in the US. 'Because Taiwan's main exporter is TSMC, which has factories in the United States, TSMC is exempt,' National Development Council chief Liu Chin-ching told the Taiwanese legislature. In March, TSMC – which counts Apple and Nvidia as clients – said it would increase its US investment to $165bn to expand chip making and research centres in Arizona. South Korea was also quick to extinguish any concerns about its top chipmakers, Samsung and SK Hynix, which have also invested in facilities in Texas and Indiana. Trade envoy Yeo Han-koo said South Korean companies would be exempt from the tariff and that Seoul already faced 'favourable' tariffs after signing a trade deal with Washington earlier this year. TSMC, Samsung and SK Hynix are just some of the foreign tech companies that have invested in the US since 2022, when then-President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan CHIPS Act offering billions of dollars in subsidies and tax credits to re-shore investment and manufacturing. Less lucky is the Philippines, said Dan Lachica, president of Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation. He said the tariffs will be 'devastating' because semiconductors make up 70 percent of the Philippines' exports. Trump's latest round of blanket tariffs on US trade partners is due to go into effect on Thursday, but the White House has also targeted specific industries like steel, aluminium, automobiles and pharmaceuticals with separate tariffs.
Al Jazeera
an hour ago
- Al Jazeera
Suspect in murder of Israel embassy staffers indicted on hate crime charges
A man accused of shooting dead two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington, DC, has been indicted on federal hate crime and murder charges, as President Donald Trump suggested he may call on the National Guard to bring down crime rates in the United States capital. Court documents filed in federal court in Washington and unsealed on Wednesday show that defendant Elias Rodriguez has been charged with nine counts, including a hate crime resulting in death. The 30-year-old is accused of shooting dead Israeli embassy staffers Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, a young couple who were about to become engaged, as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington in May. Rodriguez, who witnesses described as pacing outside the museum before the attack, approached the couple and opened fire. Surveillance footage then showed him advance on Lischinsky and Milgrim as they fell to the ground, firing additional shots as he stood over them. Rodriguez appeared to reload before jogging off, according to officials. Two other people who were standing with the couple at the time of the attack escaped unharmed. Rodriguez then entered the museum and confessed to the killings. He was heard shouting 'Free Palestine' as he was led away. Rodriguez also told police, 'I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza ', according to federal authorities. Prosecutors described the killings as calculated and planned in court papers, alleging that Rodriguez flew to Washington from Chicago with a handgun in his checked luggage. Authorities also claimed Rodriguez purchased a ticket for the American Jewish Committee-organised event at the museum three hours before it started. Rodriguez was previously charged with the murder of foreign officials and other crimes. Prosecutors added the hate crimes charges after bringing the case to a grand jury. Also included in the indictment is a notice of special findings allowing the Department of Justice to potentially pursue the death penalty. Prosecutors are now tasked with proving that Rodriguez was motivated by anti-Semitism when he opened fire on Lischinsky and Milgrim. Lischinsky was a research assistant at the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, while Milgrim organised trips to Israel for the embassy. Lischinsky, a German-Israeli citizen, had reportedly bought an engagement ring days before he and Milgrim, a Jewish US citizen, were killed. Also on Wednesday, President Trump said he may deploy the National Guard to police Washington's streets, telling reporters outside the White House that the capital is 'very unsafe' and it 'has to be the best-run place in the country'. 'We're going to beautify the city. We're going to make it beautiful. And what a shame, the rate of crime, the rate of muggings, killings and everything else. We're not going to let it,' Trump said. 'And that includes bringing in the National Guard, maybe very quickly, too,' he added. Trump made his latest threat of a federal takeover of the US capital after a staffer who was part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was assaulted during a carjacking over the weekend. According to records on the police department's website, violent crime in Washington was down 26 percent in the first seven months of 2025 compared with last year, while overall crime was down some 7 percent.
