If Harvard, armor-plated by history and padded with funds, can’t beat Trump, no one can

‘When authoritarians attack free speech at a university, they are attacking the very system that undergirds freedom in the US,’ said Harvard professor Ryan Enos. Composite: Bloomberg, AFP, Getty Images

Donald Trump attended the first Ultimate Fighting Championship event of his new presidency on Saturday, reveling off stage in a standing ovation from Maga supporters and on stage in the barely controlled violence of a sport he has long adored.

The previous day he instigated his own UFC bout, picking a fight with one of the US’s most formidable opponents: Harvard is not only the world’s richest university, with a $53bn endowment that is bigger than the GDP of almost 100 countries, it is also the oldest in the US.