Letters: Gavin Newsom's funding threat sounds like simple extortion

"Gov. Newsom is acting like an extortionist. His threat to withhold university funding unless schools publicly oppose President Trump's demands is political coercion. Public universities should not be strong-armed into adopting the governor's preferred positions. Their mission is education and open inquiry, not serving as instruments of partisan pressure. What makes this especially troubling is the hypocrisy. Newsom built his political brand by criticizing Trump for using federal funds as a political weapon."

"Yet now he is employing the same tactic, undermining the consistency and credibility for which he once claimed to stand. The state's future depends on universities that foster debate, discovery and diversity of thought, not on leaders who use financial leverage to demand conformity. I teach corporate leadership, and I know credibility and consistency are cornerstones of effective governance. Newsom's two-faced approach erodes confidence in his judgment and his ability to lead."

Governor Newsom threatened to withhold university funding unless campuses publicly opposed President Trump's demands, an action described as political coercion and strong-arming. Public universities are characterized as institutions for education, open inquiry, debate, discovery, and diversity of thought rather than instruments of partisan pressure. The funding threat is labeled hypocritical because Newsom previously criticized similar federal tactics. A corporate leadership instructor asserts that credibility and consistency are cornerstones of governance and says the governor's approach erodes confidence in his judgment. A separate concern notes a Supreme Court decision permitting racial profiling during immigration raids, increasing fear and dehumanization in the Latino immigrant community.

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