Conservatives Speak Out Against Trump’s Attacks on Opponents

As the Trump administration escalates its fight with Harvard University, threatening to revoke its tax exempt status over the institution’s refusal to acquiesce to the administration’s demands that it alter its policies and practices, conservative thinkers and power brokers are sounding the alarm and explaining why no president — Republican or Democrat — should have the unchecked power to punish their political opponents.

“If Trump has the power to do this, then any president, of either party, can destroy any private institution in the country if it defies him… This would include nonprofits, churches, foundations, and charities all would exist only at the whim of the executive. Republicans should be careful what they wish for.” – Charlie Sykes, conservative commentator and former editor-in-chief of The Bulwark

“To all the MAGA folks cheering Trump's threat to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status if it doesn't bend the knee: Just wait until the next Democratic president unilaterally revokes the tax-exempt status of churches that oppose abortion. I guarantee you'll be yelling about tyranny then.” – Steven Greenhut, Western Director of R Street Institute

“It has been a dream of the left for ages to get rid of the tax-exempt status and relative autonomy of religious institutions—Christian universities, charities, hospitals, etc. If Trump succeeds in making the IRS revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status, based in no small part on personal opposition to what Harvard teaches, what will be the principled objection to a President Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Elizabeth Warren when the Eye of Mordor swings rightward?” – Jonah Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Dispatch 

“This weapon will be used by Dems to destroy religious institutions. Really dumb move.” – Tom Giovanetti, President of Institute for Policy Innovation

“There’s way too much retribution. Most of the president’s revenge attempts will end badly for him. Republicans could rue the day they set a new justification for retaliation from Democrats.” – Karl Rove, former Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush

“This is a loaded gun. These same tools that the presidential administration is using right now to get some outcomes that maybe conservatives like, are the same tools that can be used by a liberal administration to get outcomes they don’t like once the power changes hands.” – Nico Perrino, executive vice president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)

“So the Trump administration’s attack against Harvard continues and intensifies. Its assault on private institutions that remain beyond their control, on the institutions of civil society that retain their independence, continues and intensifies. And, of course, this is not the end, or even the beginning of the end, of the Trump administration’s attack on the private sector, on civil society, on a free society. I’ve heard from reliable sources that the administration is planning to launch next week a first wave of attacks on think tanks and philanthropies it dislikes by moving to revoke their 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.” – Bill Kristol, Founder of The Weekly Standard and editor-in-chief of The Bulwark

“Anything that reaches into the classroom is going to be very hard for the government to sustain. It becomes very challenging to address [any individual utterance] without violating the First Amendment.” – Adam Kissel, visiting fellow for higher education reform in the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation

“Anyone that supports tax exempt status for churches or Catholic hospitals should be very scared about this. This is a terrible precedent.” – Pradheep J. Shanker, National Review contributor