(DCNF)—Former State Department official Mike Benz accused Harvard University on Thursday of acting as a central hub for anti-Trump activity, saying the school’s network of academic departments and think tanks has been “weaponized” against President Donald Trump.
The Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard’s ability to host foreign students, citing a “toxic campus climate” and violations related to antisemitism and foreign funding disclosures. During an appearance on “The War Room,” Benz discussed Harvard’s widespread backchanneling with powerful institutions like the State Department, the Defense Department, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and various multinational corporations and NGOs.
“Virtually every center, institute and department at Harvard is weaponized against the Trump administration at every level. Through their backchanneling with intelligence, through the backchanneling with the State Department, through their backchanneling with the defense sector, through their backchanneling with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, multinational corporations, through their backchanneling with the NGOs,” Benz said.
Benz specifically named the Harvard Belfer Center and called it a “Heart of Darkness” hub within the university. He also pointed to Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan, both affiliated with the Belfer Center, as ideological architects of these strategies.
“You gave the example of Erica Chenoweth, as well as her co-author of one of her recent books, Maria Stephan. The two of them are both associated with the Harvard Belfer Center. The Harvard Belfer Center is one of these Heart of Darkness places within Harvard that is tightly involved in organizing what they call nonviolent action, which is a total hoax term,” Benz said.
Chenoweth and Stephan say that nonviolent resistance campaigns between 1900 and 2006 were over twice as effective as violent ones. Their award-winning book says such movements succeed by drawing widespread public support and undermining regime power structures.
Benz said the term “nonviolent action,” often promoted by the Belfer Center and similar institutions, is misleading.
“Whenever you say nonviolent action, what they mean is the end stages of a color revolution where violent protesters who are not killing people with machine guns but are rather throwing Molotov cocktails in police cars and breaking glass and setting buildings on fire, but they’re not killing everyone as they do it,” Benz said.
The Trump administration has already slashed more than $2 billion in funding from Harvard and declared the university ineligible for federal grants after it vowed in April not to “surrender” to demands to combat antisemitism on campus. A September 2024 congressional investigation said Harvard failed to impose meaningful punishment on nearly 70 students involved in a multi-day pro-Hamas encampment the previous spring, when demonstrators disrupted classes and occupied a campus building.
Federal investigators accuse Harvard of failing to disclose foreign donations as required by law. Since 2017, the Ivy League university has reportedly accepted $1.1 billion from foreign sources, including over $100 million from China and approximately $1.6 million from the Palestinian territories.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/TheWarRoom)
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Why the National Debt Is the Looming Threat to Your Retirement Plans
The Hidden Crisis No One Is Talking About
Every day, headlines warn about inflation, market volatility, and global instability—but the greatest looming threat to your retirement might be something far more fundamental: America’s skyrocketing national debt.
You can learn more about how the national debt affects you by reading this 3-minute report titled, “Debt Will Hit $40T in 2026: Prepare Your Retirement Now“.
With debt growing faster than most Americans can possibly fathom, the government’s borrowing habits have reached historic—and dangerous—levels. To cover spending, Washington is making moves with their budget packages, tariffs, and taxes. Is it enough? No. It’s not even close to what would be necessary to stop out-of-control debt, let alone reverse it.
How Debt Erodes Your Nest Egg
There are only so many levers government and the Federal Reserve can pull to try to protect Americans, assuming that’s even a top priority for them. Unfortunately, pulling one level to relive one pressure invariably adds pressure from another direction. This is why prices keep going up even as inflation reportedly slows.
For retirees and pre-retirees, that’s a perfect storm. The dollars you’ve worked hard to save lose value, and your cost of living increases while your investments lag behind.
If you’re relying solely on paper-based assets—stocks, bonds, or mutual funds—you’re essentially tied to the same system that’s creating the problem. It’s a system that was designed to work well in the 20th century, not in today’s world with people living longer and the dollar rapidly losing value.
This is why the 3-minute report, “Debt Will Hit $40T in 2026: Prepare Your Retirement Now,” is so important.
The Precious Metals Hedge
Thousands of Americans are looking for a tangible, time-tested hedge: physical gold and silver.
Unlike paper assets, precious metals aren’t dependent on government policy or the stock market’s mood swings. They’re real, finite resources that have maintained value for thousands of years through wars, recessions, and inflationary periods.
In fact, during times of high inflation and fiscal instability, gold often performs its best—because it’s seen as a store of value when faith in the dollar weakens. This is why prices have skyrocketed this year and are expected by many economists to continue going up in the future.
Take Control with a Gold IRA
One of the most effective ways to protect your retirement from national debt fallout is through a self-directed Gold IRA. This IRS-approved account lets you hold physical gold and silver within your retirement portfolio, giving you:
- Direct ownership of your assets
- A hedge against inflation and dollar decline
- The control to diversify beyond Wall Street
Augusta Precious Metals specializes in helping Americans just like you take this step with confidence. The company has earned a strong reputation for transparency, education, and personalized service—making it one of the most trusted names in the industry.
The Next Step: Secure Your Financial Future
Augusta Precious Metals has helped thousands of Americans with at least $50,000 to invest from their IRAs, 401(K)s, TSPs, and other retirement accounts safeguard their savings through precious metals.
If you’re concerned about what the rising national debt could mean for your future, now is the time to act.
Read this 3-minute report titled, “Debt Will Hit $40T in 2026: Prepare Your Retirement Now“ and learn the simple steps you can take to protect your retirement.