‘Professors are the enemy’ – Incoming Vice-President JD Vance, quoting Richard Nixon. From likely reductions in student aid and an end to student debt forgiveness, to a possible dismantling of the United States Department of Education, cuts to research, a reintroduction of the travel ban on Muslim countries and deportation of undocumented immigrants, the re-election of former US president Donald J Trump on 5 November represents a major challenge to American higher education. “I think I’ll just be honest about it: I’m very anxious,” Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education (ACE), told the ACE dotEDU Live post-election podcast on 6 November, a few hours before Vice-President Kamala Harris conceded to Trump who will become the 47th president on 20 January 2025.
