Von der Leyen and Macron Criticize Trump’s University Policies as ‘Gigantic Miscalculation’

At a recent event emphasizing the importance of scientific freedom and investment, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would allocate an additional €100 million through the France 2030 initiative. The funding aims to attract top researchers and position Europe as a “safe haven” for science.

“There can be no lasting democracy without free and open science,” Macron asserted during his speech, underscoring the link between research and democratic values.

The event also served as a platform for sharp criticism of recent U.S. policies under former President Donald Trump. Several speakers condemned Trump’s attempts to slash federal research budgets and his administration’s threats to withdraw billions in funding from universities like Harvard. These actions were often framed as responses to conservative grievances related to higher education and allegations of antisemitism on campuses. Both French Minister of Higher Education Philippe Baptiste and Stanford professor Robert Proctor characterized the trend in the U.S. as a “reverse Enlightenment.”

Although European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stopped short of naming Trump or specific American academics, her message was unmistakable. She invoked the story of Nobel laureate Marie Curie — who fled Russian-occupied Poland to pursue science in France — as a symbol of how Europe must stand as a refuge for scientific inquiry.

Macron, meanwhile, delivered more direct remarks. “We must not downplay what is at stake today,” he stated, adding: “No one could have imagined a few years ago that one of the world’s largest democracies would eliminate research programs simply because they included the word ‘diversity.’ Nor could anyone have foreseen that a leading democracy would abruptly deny visa access to international researchers.”

The event highlighted growing concerns among European leaders about the politicization of science in other parts of the world — and strengthened France’s commitment to academic freedom and investment in innovation.