Calling A ‘code Red,’ Newsom Says Universities Must Reject Trump’s Compact

Gov. Gavin Newsom doubled down on a threat Friday to pull funding from California universities that sign onto a pact proposed by Donald Trump, calling the president’s efforts to make in-roads to higher education a “code red” for the state.

Newsom, answering questions at University of California, Berkeley after he signed legislation to spur science research, said that there is “no choice” for schools that receive the proposition from Trump but to reject it.

The University of Southern California was the only California school among a group of nine institutions that were approached this week with the proposed deal: make changes to admissions procedures, faculty hiring, and policies around gender identity, among other demands, in order to get priority access to federal funding grants. The quid pro quo is the latest gambit in a multi-pronged scheme by the Trump administration to assert a level of control over the country’s colleges, which the president sees as having become bastions of unchecked liberal thought.

“Do the right thing,” Newsom said. “What's the point of the system? What's the point of the university? What's the point of all of this?”

In an all caps statement on Thursday, Newsom called the proposal “radical” and threatened to pull state funding immediately from schools in the state that opt to sign on. He said that California will “not bankroll schools that sell out their students, professors, researchers and surrender academic freedom.”

Newsom’s comments Friday were in line with the increasingly heated warnings and expressions of exasperation the governor has issued in recent months as he tries to rally a response to the dangers he says Trump poses.

“What the hell is going on?” Newsom said on Friday. “It's not a choice, and the fact that I thought I needed to even send that message is rather shocking, because some people think it is. It's not. We don't have a country. It's bigger than the university system.”

Newsom’s threat to pull funding also comes as UC officials continue to negotiate with the Trump administration over a $1 billion settlement demand to restore more than $500 million in research funding cut from UCLA over allegations of antisemitism on campus.

The governor said he has an “extraordinarily good working relationship” with newly-installed UC President James Milliken, who was standing feet away. Newsom has been adamant that the UC regents, who have met several times behind closed doors to discuss the demands, not negotiate with the administration over payoff and has expressed confidence that they will “do the right thing.” Newsom, who sits on the regents as an ex officio member, said he has been working collaboratively with the regents.

Newsom said he is “not concerned about their capacity to organize a strategy that's thoughtful and deliberative, that maintains our values and moves through this without resorting” to the concerns he expressed about USC potentially signing onto the compact. As a private university, USC does not rely heavily on state funds, but would stand to lose access to financial aid under Newsom's threat.

On Friday afternoon, USC interim President Beong-Soo Kim released a statement saying the proposed deal "covers a number of issues that I believe are important to study and discuss." Kim appeared to be looking to buy some time to plot out the university's response, saying that he planned to talk with the school's trustees and others in the coming weeks. "These conversations can take time," he wrote.

The governor said he didn’t mean to “put pressure on people,” but needed to “put pressure on this moment and pressure test where we are in U.S. history.”

“We're losing this country,” Newsom said. “We're losing it in real time. This is a chaos presidency. He is a wrecking ball. This is unlike anything we've experienced in our lifetime. It is code red. No time for neutrality. It's time to stand up, pick a side, and be firm and resolute.

Separately, Newsom said he requested that UC officials commission an independent review into the disclosure of the names of 160 UC Berkeley students, faculty and staff to the Trump administration as part of an investigation into alleged antisemitism at the school. The decision to adhere to a directive from federal officials not to redact names from internal documents handed over in the investigation ignited fierce backlash.

UC officials said they have consistently complied with legal obligations to share information from prior presidential administrations, but Newsom said he could weigh in on whether the university should adjust its policies after the review is completed. UC spokesperson Rachel Zaentz said in a statement that the university is cooperating with Newsom's request, stating: "We will continue to work closely with the governor on this and other issues.”