Most American Jews say Trump is using antisemitism as an ‘excuse’ to silence free speech at universities

Four out of ten American Jews say they have personally experienced antisemitism in the past two years, yet a majority disapprove of how the Trump administration has addressed the issue on college campuses, according to a new survey.

The study, conducted by the polling firm Impose in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Rochester, found that 72% of Jewish Americans are concerned about antisemitism on campus. However, nearly 60% disapprove of the Trump administration’s decision to withhold federal funding from Harvard and UCLA for, it argues, failing to combat antisemitism on campus.

James Druckman, a political scientist at the University of Rochester who helped design the survey, said many respondents view the funding threats as a political maneuver.

“Three-fourths of the sample view the Trump administration as using antisemitism as an excuse,” Druckman said.

Critics argue the policy undermines free speech and academic freedom under the guise of protecting Jewish students. Becca Israel, director of the Nexus Project, a nonprofit that combats antisemitism and promotes democracy, said the administration’s actions send conflicting messages.

“The weaponization of these legitimate concerns for unrelated political goals — as evidenced by Trump cutting the very Office for Civil Rights that investigates antisemitism while claiming to fight it — really represents a dangerous distraction,” Israel said.

The Trump administration reached agreements with Columbia University, Brown University, and others over antisemitism-related investigations, and negotiations continue with other institutions, including Harvard.

The survey also revealed a sharp partisan divide. Ninety-five percent of American Jews who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election said antisemitism was being used to advance Trump’s broader political agenda, while 91% of Trump voters said they believe he genuinely cares about the issue.

On foreign policy, only 31% of Jewish Americans polled said they support Israel’s military campaign in Gaza over the past two years, highlighting internal division on the topic.

The survey included responses from 1,166 American Jews from the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movements as well as those who are unaffiliated. It is one of the first major studies examining Jewish views on how the Trump Administration is addressing antisemitism.