On a recent episode of 60 Minutes, Harvard University found itself under the national microscope after cognitive psychologist and longtime professor Steven Pinker weighed in on President Trump’s blunt critique of the Ivy League powerhouse.
The president had famously labeled the university a “liberal mess,” and Pinker didn’t completely dismiss the idea.
CBS journalist Bill Whitaker asked the professor whether there was any truth to Trump’s sharp words.
To some surprise, Pinker acknowledged that Harvard has increasingly leaned toward progressive viewpoints in recent years.
“The language is a bit harsh,” Whitaker said, quoting Trump’s description of Harvard hiring “almost all woke, radical left idiots and birdbrains.” “But does he have a point here?”
Pinker paused before answering, “Not in those terms, no. But I think there’s a grain of truth.”
Whitaker pressed further: “What’s the grain of truth?”
“I think there should be more voices on the right at Harvard,” Pinker explained.
“I don’t want Donald Trump deciding who those people are or how many we should have.”
Federal Funding Freeze Adds Tension
The interview comes amid a high-stakes standoff between the Trump administration and Ivy League schools over federal grants.
Earlier this year, the administration froze nearly $3 billion in federal funding to Harvard—the largest freeze of its kind—citing concerns over antisemitism and the university’s approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Harvard fought back, filing lawsuits that led a federal judge to temporarily block the freeze, calling it an “ideologically motivated assault.”
The administration has vowed to appeal the decision, keeping the issue very much alive.
Pinker Calls for More Diverse Opinions on Campus
During his 60 Minutes appearance, Pinker didn’t mince words about what he sees as Harvard’s challenges.
“Harvard has not done enough to ensure a wide range of opinions are represented,” he said.
“There have been too many incidents where someone expressed a controversial opinion and faced shaming or canceling.”
He pointed specifically to the case of biology lecturer Carole Hooven, who resigned in 2021 after controversial comments on Fox News drew backlash from colleagues and students.
Hooven had argued that biological facts—specifically male and female sexes—should not be overshadowed by ideology.
“The ideology seems to be that biology really isn’t as important as how somebody feels about themselves or feels their sex to be,” Hooven said.
“The facts are that there are, in fact, two sexes—male and female—based on the kind of gametes we produce.”
Other Ivy League Schools Under Pressure
Harvard isn’t the only Ivy League university feeling the heat.
Columbia University, the birthplace of nationwide pro-Palestine campus demonstrations in 2023, faced a threatened $400 million grant freeze.
In response, Columbia agreed to overhaul its student disciplinary processes, apply a federal definition of antisemitism in teaching, and create a committee to investigate students critical of Israel.
They also paid a $200 million fine to restore federal funding.
Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania made similar concessions, from adopting federal definitions of male and female to addressing transgender athlete records and reviewing admissions policies.
Other institutions, including Cornell, Northwestern, Duke, and Princeton, have also seen federal funding withheld.
Pinker’s Longstanding Critique
Steven Pinker has been at Harvard for 22 years and has long voiced concerns about what he perceives as liberal bias across campus.
While he disagrees with Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric, he does believe the conversation about ideological diversity at Ivy League schools is overdue.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Harvard University for comment on the professor’s remarks and the ongoing funding disputes.