President Donald Trump had already cut hundreds of millions to Columbia University over antisemitism allegations and put 59 other colleges on notice when word came down to staff that he wanted to punish more campuses.
“Can we get something going on Twitter in a short bit?” Senior Policy Strategist May Mailman asked several members of the White House communications team in an email late in the day on March 18. “Stephen request,” added Mailman, who works closely with Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
“POTUS wants to see more action against universities,” Mailman wrote. Administration officials raced to make it happen.