Attacks on universities, faculty and students have escalated dramatically in the early months of Trump’s second presidential term. The pace and ferocity of these attacks have taken almost everyone by surprise, including those who have been subject to political intervention for some years in Republican-led states such as Texas and Florida. What makes the latest oppressive phase so devastating is the clear intent to dismantle all research and scientific expertise that does not conform to the far-right’s ideological viewpoint. Silence and self-censorship have descended on most campuses, and growing numbers of scholars and students seek new institutions outside the country to study, teach and conduct research on health, climate, poverty, racism and other pressing global issues. As a result, the international status of US higher education is plummeting. Trump has, in effect, declared war on higher education, and in so doing has arguably abandoned the immediate and long-term needs of the American population and jeopardized the futures of all societies.