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Trump Mocked After Threatening To Remove Universities' Tax-Exempt Status

"The would-be dictator wants to withhold funding based on the content of speech. So much for the Constitution," said ethics expert Walter Shaub.

WestNet News wire Source: HuffPost
Trump Mocked After Threatening To Remove Universities' Tax-Exempt Status

The man who once famously said, “I love the poorly educated,” apparently has a big problem with higher education.

President Donald Trump on Friday railed against universities and school systems that he argued were “about radical left indoctrination, not education.”

In two tweets, the president said he was telling the Treasury Department to “re-examine” the tax-exempt status of colleges and universities if they use “propaganda or act against public policy.”

Too many Universities and School Systems are about Radical Left Indoctrination, not Education. Therefore, I am telling the Treasury Department to re-examine their Tax-Exempt Status...

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2020

... and/or Funding, which will be taken away if this Propaganda or Act Against Public Policy continues. Our children must be Educated, not Indoctrinated!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2020

But Trump’s proposal to eliminate tax-exempt status for educational institutions that supposedly indoctrinate students may not pass legal muster.

The “advocacy of a particular position or viewpoint” can qualify as educational for tax purposes “if there is a sufficiently full and fair exposition of pertinent facts to permit an individual or the public to form an independent opinion or conclusion,” according to IRS policy reported by Politico.

Many Twitter users also took issue with the president’s tweets.

America wants to investigate YOUR tax-exempt status. https://t.co/3fO2QZe854

— Dan Rather (@DanRather) July 10, 2020

I'm old enough to remember when conservatives went crazy when they thought the IRS was targeting right-wing organizations for political purposes. No doubt, they will all loudly express their indignation over this. https://t.co/Lfn1a5v6KH

— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) July 10, 2020

Real politburo crap here. You do NOT get to define what education is or is not. You do not get to mandate what we say, think, read or how we express ourselves. You do not control our bodies, our minds, our beliefs, or our sexual preferences. @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/wK0YqpOY26

— Brian J. Karem (@BrianKarem) July 10, 2020

The would-be dictator wants to withhold funding based on the content of speech. So much for the Constitution. https://t.co/AOFAbvIeQU

— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) July 10, 2020

He's hoping news organizations cover this empty threat today instead of his refusal/inability to read his daily intelligence briefs containing real threats like Putin paying to kill American troops. https://t.co/AwiCnAk4lg

— Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence) July 10, 2020

No one gets to bitch about "cancel culture" after this overt threat by the sitting president against all higher ed institutions that aren't an iteration of Liberty U because he disagrees with some professors' politics ⬇️ https://t.co/t1GBSkPdez

— Fiddler (@cFidd) July 10, 2020

Dude who had someone take his SATs doesn't understand higher learning. I am shocked.

No wonder he created that sham Trump University. https://t.co/apHVGbvYX3

— Jerry James Stone (@jerryjamesstone) July 10, 2020

One person gently suggested that the president might want to rethink his plan.

Good luck with this one at the Supreme Court. You’ve been racking up loss after loss lately, you really want to go again? https://t.co/BZeICpcKoB

— Gary Whitta (@garywhitta) July 10, 2020

HuffPost reached out to the Treasury Department for comment.