(Washington Times) President Trump has promised to end federal research grants for universities that don’t “support free speech,” but determining which colleges support a marketplace of ideas can present a kind of political Rorschach test.
Critics have long decried efforts to stifle or disrupt conservative speakers at college campuses, such as the University of California at Berkeley, which cited safety concerns in canceling speeches by right-wing commentators Milo Yiannopoulos and Ann Coulter in 2017.
Mr. Trump cited Berkeley in his call for ending research grants, noting a recent incident in which a conservative organizer was punched on the campus.
But the notedly liberal university, which was plagued with violence by mostly off-campus activists in 2017, has since hosted several conservative speakers such as Ben Shapiro, Candace Owens and Rick Santorum, and has paid for their security details.
