March 1, 2025

The Endgame: Higher Education and the March Toward Fascism

Yesterday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the White House in what should have been another moment of solidarity between the United States and Ukraine. Yet, something was way off. On TV for the entire world to see, the Trump regime made no secret of its shifting stance on Ukraine and on its geopolitical stance. Once a bipartisan issue, support for Ukrainian sovereignty has eroded rapidly, with Trump’s inner circle openly aligning with Putin’s geopolitical objectives. With Congress already signaling a retreat from Ukraine and a broader strategy of disengagement, it is becoming increasingly clear that the administration is not just abandoning Ukraine—it is systematically dismantling American institutions, and it’s obvious that higher education will also come under fire.

Higher education has long served as a stronghold against the creeping tide of autocracy in this country. Universities foster free thought, dissent, and resistance to authoritarianism. It is no coincidence, then, that the architects of Project 2025—Trump’s comprehensive plan to reshape the federal government into a tool of conservative dominance—have placed universities squarely in their crosshairs.

The War Against Knowledge

Project 2025 lays out an aggressive strategy to gut federal funding for education, dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and eliminate research grants that do not align with right-wing ideology. These moves are not merely about cutting costs; they are about silencing opposition. Universities, by their nature, cultivate critical thinking and independent inquiry—two forces that are fundamentally incompatible with autocracy.

But the war against higher education is not just about controlling domestic discourse. It is part of a broader realignment of American foreign and domestic policy. Trump’s reversal on the Russian/Ukrainian war signals a desire to bring the United States into ideological alignment with Putin’s Russia, where academia has already been muzzled and turned into a propaganda arm of the state. If Trump’s government continues dismantling academic institutions, the parallels will become even more striking. Public universities will be defunded into oblivion, faculty members will be purged for ideological nonconformity, and students will be funneled into institutions that teach obedience rather than analysis.

The Broader Assault on Public Institutions

The attack on education is not occurring in isolation. Trump’s administration has already begun dismantling other public institutions designed to serve the interests of ordinary Americans rather than the elite. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), established to protect Americans from predatory financial practices, is being systematically weakened, its enforcement powers stripped away. Similarly, USAID, a critical agency in providing humanitarian aid and supporting democratic governance abroad, is being gutted, leaving vulnerable nations more susceptible to autocratic influence.

These attacks all serve a common goal: the removal of any institution that provides an alternative power structure or a check on authoritarian control. Without regulatory agencies protecting workers, consumers, and citizens, corporate oligarchs and political elites can consolidate power with impunity. Without universities educating the next generation of leaders, the populace becomes easier to manipulate and control.

The Endgame: Eradicating Opposition

The key question is: Why? What does Trump’s administration gain by destroying higher education and dismantling agencies that protect ordinary citizens? The answer is simple—absolute power. A nation that cannot think critically cannot resist authoritarianism. Universities have historically served as one of the few institutional barriers to the consolidation of unchecked power. Professors, researchers, and students alike challenge state narratives, push back against propaganda, and create spaces where alternative futures can be imagined.

By gutting universities and eliminating protective agencies, the right-wing movement removes the last remaining obstacles to full-spectrum dominance. With media already captured by corporate interests and the courts packed with reactionary judges, the academy is the final domino. If Trump is willing to abandon Ukraine to authoritarian rule, what chance does an American university have of surviving under his fascist coup?

A Call to Action

The next year is critical. Faculty, students, and university administrators must recognize the existential threat posed by a second Trump administration and act accordingly. Resistance cannot be passive.

• Educators must organize: Faculty must form coalitions, working across disciplines and institutions to resist these attacks.
• Students must mobilize: The history of student activism in resisting autocracy is long and powerful. Now is the time to revive that spirit.
• Public institutions must fight back: Universities must refuse to comply with ideological purges, resist funding cuts by seeking alternative revenue sources, and speak out loudly against policies that erode democracy.

If we do not mobilize now, we will wake up in a country where education exists solely to indoctrinate, where scholarship is replaced with state-sanctioned narratives, and where the battle for knowledge has already been lost. The destruction of higher education is not collateral damage—it is the plan. And unless we fight back, it will be executed with brutal efficiency.

At least rhetorically, the United States has always claimed to stand for democracy, free thought, and the protection of individual liberties. These ideals, however, are not self-sustaining. As Norman Mailer once warned, democracy is something fragile—always under threat from authoritarianism, corporate influence, and public apathy. It is not a given; it is a constant struggle, requiring vigilance and action. The deliberate erosion of higher education, the weakening of institutions meant to protect the vulnerable, and the retreat from global democratic leadership all point toward a government intent on reshaping the country in a way that benefits only the elite. If the U.S. is to remain a beacon of democracy, it must prove it through action—not just words. The time to fight for that vision is now.