Harvard Professor Amy Wax appeared on Saturday’s WarRoom. She heavily criticized the current state of academia, calling for the defunding of universities that violate civil rights laws and fail to honor the principles of Western Civilization. Wax exposed to host Steve Bannon how elites, while promoting equality, create double standards that harm ordinary people and weaken institutions critical to America’s future. She urges President Trump to act decisively and cut funding to institutions like the University of Pennsylvania, which continues to receive government money despite its ideological shift.

During the candid conversation,  Wax elevated the stark realities of academia today. “What’s more important than young people to the future of our country?” Wax said, pointing to the growing disconnection between elite universities and the needs of everyday Americans. She stresses how academia has betrayed its responsibility to expose students to the truth, regardless of how uncomfortable it might be.

Wax explains that, in her view, academic institutions have failed in their duty to preserve and pass down the principles of Western Civilization. "We have inherited wonderful, valuable institutions from the past… we have a duty to protect and defend them,” she says. This duty, Wax argues, is not only to honor the sacrifices of past generations but to pass on these institutions in good shape, ready to be handed down to future generations. Yet, Wax believes that this responsibility is being ignored as universities degrade the very institutions they were meant to protect.

According to Wax, the professors and leaders in these institutions are not fulfilling their duty. "I see in my fellow academics an unwillingness to go up against the powers that be,” she notes, referring to the growing influence of the far left within universities. She calls out the cowardice of these intellectuals who remain silent despite privately opposing the far-left agenda. Wax blames this culture for actively promoting ideas that undermine merit and embrace identity politics over competence. “They create a lax atmosphere that results in incompetence,” she says, emphasizing how policies like diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) distort education.

Wax knows these institutions inside and out as someone who’s spent over 30 years in academia. "It happened gradually, and as Hemingway says, then suddenly,” she reflects. She notes how the far-left has seized control of the university system, consolidating power and pushing their ideology at the expense of traditional values. “The belief system is very far removed from most ordinary people,” she asserts, describing how elites have become increasingly disconnected from the realities of average Americans.

The conversation also touches on the ideological hypocrisy of the left. "You can just look around you in Cambridge and see this sort of posh, refined beautiful place that elite people have created for themselves,” Wax comments, referring to the affluent areas around Harvard. "Go 30 miles west of Philadelphia, outside my home, and you’ll see squalor, decrepitude, lack of law and order.” She contrasts the comfortable, sheltered lives of elites with the struggles faced by working-class Americans. The message is clear: while elites talk about diversity, they live in exclusive enclaves far removed from the issues affecting the broader population.

Bannon chimes in, agreeing with Wax’s assessment of the current state of academia. Together, they discuss how the two pillars of the far-left ideology—self-fashioning and equality of outcome—are reshaping education and society. Wax quotes Charles Murray’s Coming Apart, noting how the elite class has segregated itself from the rest of society, living in “wytopias” while touting diversity and equality for everyone else. This double standard, Wax insists, is what breeds resentment and disillusionment among the public.

The conversation concludes with a call to action. Wax urges President Trump to defund universities that violate civil rights laws, explicitly pointing to institutions like the University of Pennsylvania, which receives millions in federal funds. "Defund them,” she urges. "Play hardball. Make them focus on Western Civilization.” For Wax, the solution is simple: cut the money flow until universities prove they uphold the law and return to their original educational mission.

This bold stance against academia’s current trajectory highlights the urgency for reform. Wax and Bannon’s call for action is a powerful reminder of preserving the values that have shaped America, even as they are increasingly under threat.

Watch the full interview from Saturday’s WarRoom:

Professor Wax: "We Are Degrading And Debasing The Institutions Of Western Civilization”