With their assault on science, Trumpists aren’t just harming America – they’re harming themselves | Jan-Werner Müller

The Trump administration is waging an unprecedented assault on scientific institutions, subjugating research and higher learning to political imperatives. This unprecedented act of self-harm not only harms America but also severely impacts the country's soft power and technological progress. Scholars and experts have drawn parallels between the Trumpist subjugation of science and the Soviet Union under Stalin, highlighting the dangerous implications of this new era of political interference in research.

A key player in this upheaval is Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, who initiated the rule change that subjects any federal grant, including those for science, to review by political appointees. This move threatens universities with potential consequences such as "Nice medical school you have there – pity if something were to happen to it because your administration had failed to come into alignment with the president’s priorities."

The assault extends to foreign students and international collaboration, further diminishing the United States' global influence.

In his role as a Guardian US columnist and professor of politics at Princeton University, Jan-Werner Müller delves into the reasons behind Trumpists' seemingly irrational behavior. He argues that the administration's war on science is not only detrimental to the nation but also serves as a testament to the party's own self-destructive tendencies.