Former President Donald Trump said it is a "shame" there is not more police presence at pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University and other college campuses.
"It's interesting outside, for great Americans for people who want to come down and they want to protest at the court, and they want to protest peacefully, we have more police presence here than anyone has ever seen," Trump said Tuesday outside a Manhattan courthouse on the sixth day of his hush money payment trial.
He continued: "For blocks, you can't get near this courthouse. And you have nobody up at a college, where you have very radical people wanting to rip the colleges down. Rip the universities down. That's a shame."
The Context
Columbia University, located in Manhattan, and other colleges across the U.S. have found themselves embroiled in the domestic debate over the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Students have led protests against Israel's response to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, raising concerns about the number of Palestinian civilians that have been killed in the conflict.
These concerns are shared by a number of global human rights organizations and an increasing number of Americans, according to some polls.
These protests have sparked criticism from some Jewish leaders, who say they make Jewish and Israeli citizens feel at risk as critics say some of these protests have veered into antisemitism.
The protests have raised the temperature on college campuses that have been divided over the issue for months and have seen some arrets and clashes with police in recent days.
What We Know
In responding to the protests on Tuesday, Trump described them as a "disgrace" and pinned blame on President Joe Biden, who has found himself increasingly at odds with some progressive Democrats over the Israel-Hamas conflict.
"What's going on at the college level, Columbia, NYU and others is a disgrace," he said. "It's really on Biden. He's got the wrong signal. He's going the wrong tone. He's got the wrong tone, and he doesn't know who he's backing."
He criticized Biden for seeking a "middle ground," adding that he believes that approach "oftentimes doesn't work."
Newsweek reached out to Biden's campaign for comment via email.
Biden on Monday responded to the protests in remarks to reporters.
"I condemn the antisemitic protests. That's why I've set up a program to deal with that. I also condemn those who don't understand what's going on with the Palestinians and their—how they're being...," he said, not completing that sentence before being asked another question.
Views
Trump's comments drew mixed responses on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk wrote, "Donald Trump is making more sense and saying more in brief statements to the media while stuck at court than Joe Biden despite having unlimited time to campaign."
"This is obviously a lie. We were there yesterday. There is a space to protest right across the street and we counted five Trump supporters total. Six if you count Andrew Giuliani wandering aimlessly looking for someone to interview him," wrote The Good Liars podcast.
What's Next
After protests at Columbia drew national attention over the weekend, they have spread to other college campuses this week, including New York University, Harvard University, Yale University and the University of California, Berkeley.
Update 4/23/24, 10:40 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 4/23/24, 11:42 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
