Trump
Trump Demands $1 Billion Fine from University of California System Over Antisemitism Claims at UCLA. President Donald Trump demanded a massive $1 billion fine from the prestigious University of California system on Friday as the administration pushed its claims of antisemitism in UCLA’s response to 2024 student protests related to Gaza. The figure, which is five times the sum Columbia University agreed to pay to settle similar federal accusations of antisemitism, would “completely devastate” the UC public university system, a senior official said.
The Staggering Demand and Its Potential Impact
The Trump administration sent the $1 billion demand to the University of California (UC) system on Friday, 8 August 2025, as part of ongoing efforts to tackle what it sees as unchecked antisemitism on college campuses. [0] This comes after the White House froze more than $500 million in federal grants to UCLA alone, citing failures to protect Jewish students during last year’s pro-Palestinian protests. [15] The fine would be paid in instalments, and the government also wants $172 million set aside for a claims fund to help Jewish students and others who say they faced discrimination. [7]
UC President James B. Milliken, who took over the role on 1 August 2025 after a long career leading systems like the University of Texas and City University of New York, said the demand would wreck the system. [19] He oversees 10 campuses, including UCLA in Los Angeles, which serve over 294,000 students and drive key research in tech, medicine, and security. [20] “As a public university, we are stewards of taxpayer resources and a payment of this scale would completely devastate our country’s greatest public university system as well as inflict great harm on our students and all Californians,” he said. “Americans across this great nation rely on the vital work of UCLA and the UC system for technologies and medical therapies that save lives, grow the US economy, and protect our national security.”
Milliken, appointed in May 2025 with a salary of $1.475 million, has hit the ground running, sharing introductory videos and messages to the UC community about his vision for the future. [25] But this demand throws a wrench into those plans, threatening to slash budgets for teaching, research, and student aid. UC campuses rank among the top public universities in the US, with UCLA often in the top 20 globally for fields like engineering and health sciences.
California’s Fiery Response and Legal Threats
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who sits on the UC Board of Regents, fired back during a press conference on Friday. He called the demand “extortion” and vowed to fight it in court. “He has threatened us through extortion with a billion dollar fine unless we do his bidding,” Newsom said, praising UC as “one of the reasons California is the tentpole of the US economy, one of the reasons we have more scientists, engineers, more Nobel laureates, than any other state in this nation.” “We’ll sue,” he added firmly.
Newsom, along with state leaders and the Jewish Caucus, slammed the move as a “political shakedown” by the Trump Department of Justice. [6] He stressed that California will not bend like some private schools, saying: “We will not be complicit in this kind of attack on academic freedom, or on this extraordinary public institution. We are not like some of those other institutions that have followed a different path.”
This echoes broader worries about the Trump administration’s push into higher education. Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has targeted universities he views as too liberal, using funding as leverage to force changes. [24] His Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters often see academia as out of touch and hostile to their values.
Echoes of Settlements with Columbia and Pressure on Harvard
The UC demand follows a pattern seen with other top schools. In July 2025, Columbia University agreed to a $200 million fine—the largest ever in such a case—plus $21 million to settle Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claims, totalling $221 million. [28] This restored most of their frozen $400 million in grants but came with strings: no race-based admissions or hiring, more viewpoint diversity in Middle East studies, and an independent monitor for three years. [29] Columbia did not admit wrongdoing but acknowledged issues with antisemitism.
The deal drew backlash from faculty, with some like historian Rashid Khalidi cancelling classes in protest, calling it a “capitulation” that threatens free speech. Student groups slammed it as selling out. Education Secretary Linda McMahon hailed it as a “seismic shift” in fighting antisemitism at taxpayer-funded schools.
Harvard faces similar pressure, with frozen funds and negotiations underway. Reports suggest they might pay double Columbia’s amount to settle. The administration uses civil rights probes under Title VI, which bans discrimination in federally funded programs, to push reforms.
Background: 2024 Protests and Rising Tensions
The roots trace to 2024, when pro-Palestinian protests swept US campuses after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel and the Gaza war. At UCLA, clashes turned violent, with counter-protesters attacking encampments, leading to over 200 arrests. Jewish students reported harassment, including chants and signs seen as antisemitic. Then-President Joe Biden called for “order must prevail,” but Trump, back in power, ramped up scrutiny.
A federal probe found UCLA and UC failed to address a “hostile environment” for Jewish students, citing ignored complaints and lax enforcement of rules. UC adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism in 2025 to guide responses, but critics say it stifles criticism of Israel.
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