Most Americans support Trump crackdown on anti-Semitism on campus, new poll shows
Most American adults support President Trump’s efforts to combat anti-Semitism, as well as Israel’s campaign against Hamas.
‘The American public has sent a clear message: universities must be held accountable for failing to protect Jewish students from discrimination and harassment,’ ICC’s CEO said.
According to a recent poll, most Americans support President Donald Trump’s crackdown on anti-Semitism in higher education.
The poll was conducted by the Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC) and released on Tuesday. It found that 66 percent of American adults and 56 percent of American college students “support cutting federal funding to colleges and universities that fail to protect Jewish students or address antisemitism decisively.”
Additionally, the poll found that 54 percent of American adults support the Trump administration’s efforts to deport Mahmoud Khalil, who was deeply involved in the anti-Israel protests that caused disruptions on Columbia University’s campus in 2024. Forty percent of college students shared that opinion.
ICC shared with Campus Reform a press release giving more information about the poll.
The poll surveyed “1,000 U.S. adults and 450 college students nationwide,” the press release stated.
“The American public has sent a clear message: universities must be held accountable for failing to protect Jewish students from discrimination and harassment,” said Jacob Baime, CEO of ICC.
“Amid a rising crisis of antisemitism, too many academic institutions have neglected their duty,” Baime continued. “These findings signal that administrators must act decisively to ensure a safe, inclusive environment for Jewish students.”
The survey also found that most American adults side with Israel in its ongoing war with the terrorist group Hamas, with 83 percent believing that the Jewish state’s military efforts in Gaza are justified.
Two Republican representatives introduced a bill on Monday titled the University Accountability Act that would penalize universities that fail to crack down on anti-Semitism.
The law, which was introduced by Reps. Elise Stefanik (R–N.Y.) and Nicole Malliotakis (R–N.Y.), would impose fines on colleges and universities that violate Title VI. The fines would consist of “either five percent of the school’s aggregate administrative compensation as reported on the school’s Form 990, or $100,000, whichever is greater.”
The Trump administration has also attempted to eliminate campus anti-Semitism, including by suspending more than $200 million in funds to Princeton University as part of an investigation into the school that was launched in 2024 after Campus Reform Editor-in-Chief Dr. Zachary Marschall initiated a Title VI complaint, claiming that Princeton had allowed anti-Semitism to grow unchecked on the Ivy League campus.
The Trump administration also pulled hundreds of millions from Columbia University for inadequately addressing reports of discrimination against Jewish students. The university agreed to a set of demands from the White House as a precondition to potentially gaining back the funds.
