A teach-in on February 12 at the University of Michigan was obviously held for the purpose of vilifying President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, describing them as “lawless, anti-democratic” extremists acting “to the detriment of the country.”

A headline for the event stated: “U.S. president and the richest man in the world are challenging constitutional precedents and about to collide with the courts.” The theme of the teach-in was presented in the form of questions: “Why is this happening? What is at stake? And what can be done about it?”

According to Jennifer Kabbany, editor of The College Fix, the teach-in was conducted by “a parade” of 10 professors representing a variety of fields, including “public policy, law, political science, business, and communications.” Each spoke for about 10 minutes to an overflow crowd of several hundred students in the University’s Angell Hall auditorium. Another room had to be set up to accommodate the overflow audience.

Among the speakers was business professor Jerry Davis, who bemoaned that “Big Tech and Silicon Valley used to actively support left-wing causes — but no more.” Using a recently coined derogatory term, the “Nerd Reich,” he said Musk and his friends “don’t believe in democracy ... They are clearly enthralled by an anti-Democratic ideology.” Davis opined that the “Big Tech founder class sees themselves as the ‘makers,’ and others as the ‘takers.’”

Law professor and legal historian, Julian Davis Mortenson, told students President Trump is “overstepping his constitutional powers,” and charged that [his leadership] is an “assertion of regal imperviousness to the obligations of the law that not even — literally — King George at the revolution asserted.”

Mortenson huffed: “It’s scary stuff.... Right now, my hair is on fire and I am unsettled and maybe even scared about the republic in a way I haven’t been perhaps since after September 11,” as though leftists actually believe in the U.S. as a constitutional republic. Such inflammatory [and baseless] rhetoric was doubtless unsettling to many in the young audience.

Professor of political science, Vincent Hutchings, whose faculty bio adds that he specializes in “diversity and social transformation” as well as “Afroamerican and African Studies,” spoke on the subject of what motivates the electorate. He asserted that “a majority of white Americans have voted for the Republican presidential candidate and that ‘the racial divide is the biggest divide in American politics.’” He apparently ignored the fact that African Americans voted for Trump in respectable numbers, choosing instead to exploit the tired myth of racism and “white supremacy.”

Hutchings claimed: “The black-white divide is bigger than the gender gap, it’s bigger than the class-education gap ... it is the foundation of the current party system in our country.”

Other speakers advanced the notion of Republican “megadonors,” and accused this hypothetical wealthy group of transforming the Republican party and making demands to cut “highly popular government programs.” Professor Robert Mickey claimed these “‘megadonors’ are demanding radical cuts to the regulation of business, and demanding the nomination of extremist judges committed to interpreting the constitution in ways that would result in major cuts to the regulation of business.”

Conservatives might logically observe that this is another instance of the left accusing the right of exactly what the left is doing; in this instance nominating and promoting activist judges to advance its political agenda. Phyllis Schlafly often warned during her lifetime about liberal judges “legislating from the bench.” (As an example, see the Phyllis Schlafly Report — September 2004.)

Professor Mickey further charged that “white Americans” are panicked about “the ownership of the country,” and that they are “united by concerns over immigration.” This assertion was doubtless intended to suggest to the captive audience that legitimate concerns about open borders and illegal alien crime are actually unfounded and even racist.

Mickey accused the Republican Party of no longer being committed to “Democracy,” a favorite term of the left, and said “he’s surprised the GOP has connected with the blue-collar class with an ‘unpopular’ policy agenda.” His last statement revealed a level of ignorance despite his academic status. If Trump’s message resounded with blue-collar voters as it did with the Republican base, then obviously it was popular.

One student who attended the teach-in spoke afterward to The College Fix, expressing his disappointment in its “one-sided nature.” He spoke on condition of anonymity fearing reprisal, indicating that students who disagree would likely be ostracized or worse. He added that he felt “many of the professors’ assertions were either hyperbolic or flat out incorrect.”

“It’s unfortunate that Michigan tax dollars are funding these kinds of blatantly partisan faculty activism,” the student said. “The ultimate irony is that it was promoted across campus as a totally ‘neutral’ forum for discussion.”

The College Fix also exposed the University of Michigan’s event on X. The post includes a short video and a link to Kabbany’s full article about the event. In response, one commenter urged: “Encourage young people to go to trade school. College is a waste of money.” Another posted: “Trump ran on Elon running the DOGE effort. Voters gave them the win. Suddenly, Marxist professors don’t like Democracy anymore.”

Many conservatives worry about such unanswered propaganda falling on impressionable ears, especially in conjunction with persuasive professors and peers. They point out that if these activist sessions are happening at the University of Michigan, it’s likely they are happening in colleges and universities across the country. One consolation may be that the Trump Administration seems aware of what’s going on in higher education, and is moving to address the problems at all levels of the U.S. education system.

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