Public Opinion Fight Could Outlast Court Victory

Steve Yale-Loehr was quoted by the Times of London in What is Next for Trump’s Escalating War With Harvard? He said that even if Harvard were to prevail in court, it may be a pyrrhic victory in the broader public relations fight. “This legal battle coalesces two of Trump’s wars, one on immigration and international students generally, and the second on higher education. And Harvard is sort of at the crux of both fights. I think Harvard will eventually win the litigation battle, but I fear that Trump is winning the war. They are essentially saying, ‘If we win in court, great, but if we don’t, we can just blame all those judges.’ ” Beyond challenging the orders in court, Harvard could lobby Congress and try to win hearts and minds by demonstrating the importance of its research and the contributions made by non-native students, he noted, but added, “That’s a long, slow fight. You can’t turn around public opinion that quickly.”