It hasn’t been rare for Donald Trump to find himself at odds with scientists. This was especially the case during the final year of his first time when he frequently butted heads with the scientific community over his handling of COVID-19 and his pushing of bogus cures.
But in his second term, in the age of DOGE and Trump’s crackdowns on universities, many scientists have written a letter denouncing the president, warning that “we see real danger in this moment.”
According to The Verge, the letter was authored by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine members and had nearly 2,000 signatories as of Wednesday morning.
Hundreds of scientists accuse Donald Trump of censorship https://t.co/yC5dpFklQk
— The Verge (@verge) April 1, 2025
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“We all rely on science. Science gave us the smartphones in our pockets, the navigation systems in our cars, and life-saving medical care,” the letter begins. “We count on engineers when we drive across bridges and fly in airplanes. Businesses and farmers rely on science and engineering for product innovation, technological advances, and weather forecasting. Science helps humanity protect the planet and keeps pollutants and toxins out of our air, water, and food.”
The letter then rips the president for his administration’s numerous cuts to scientific research and crackdowns on specific universities.
“Astoundingly, the Trump administration is destabilizing this enterprise by gutting funding for research, firing thousands of scientists, removing public access to scientific data, and pressuring researchers to alter or abandon their work on ideological grounds.”
The letter is nonpartisan, stating that the signatories are speaking for themselves rather than for the institutions for which they are employed or affiliated. Per the text of the letter, “united as researchers in wanting to protect independent scientific inquiry.”
An open letter published by nearly 2,000 doctors, scientists and researchers says the Trump administration is waging a “wholesale assault on U.S. science” that threatens the country’s health, economic development, national security and scientific preeminence.@WmBrangham… pic.twitter.com/0PdUbGTJT3
— PBS News (@NewsHour) April 1, 2025
White House spokesman Kush Desai responded in a statement to The Verge.
“The United States is by far the largest funder of scientific research and is home to the world’s largest ecosystem for innovation and research,” Desai said. “The Trump administration spending its first two months to review the previous administration’s projects, identify waste, and realign our research spending to the suit the priorities of the American people is not going to upend America’s innovative dominance.”
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
