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Cato Weekly Podcast • August 7, 2025 

# Offers You’d Better Not Refuse 

Last week, President Trump ramped up pressure on two favorite targets: elite universities and Fed Chair Jerome Powell. In the “War on Woke U,” the administration landed a $50 million settlement from Brown—the third Ivy to cut a deal—and added Duke and UCLA to the hit list with new civil rights probes and a funding cutoff. Meanwhile, after the Fed held rates steady, Trump escalated his campaign to oust Powell, denouncing him as a “stubborn MORON” on Truth Social.

In this episode, Cato scholars break down the Art of the Forcible Deal. What risks do Trump’s pressure tactics pose for monetary stability? Will they reform broken institutions—or just deepen their politicization? And is Trump’s strong-arm approach an aberration, or a preview of the modern presidency’s future?

#### Show Notes 

[![Capital Building with money](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/content_teaser/public/2024-03/GettyImages-922901040.jpg?itok=pbj4zVH8)](https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/case-federal-deficit-reduction-spending-cuts-avoid-fiscal-crisis) 

Study 

### [A Case for Federal Deficit Reduction](/policy-analysis/case-federal-deficit-reduction-spending-cuts-avoid-fiscal-crisis) 

By [Ryan Bourne](https://www.cato.org/people/ryan-bourne) 

Some basic fiscal truths show that we are headed toward a fiscal crisis, sooner or later, unless significant action is taken to reduce the scale of future deficits and debt.

[![NPR](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/content_teaser/public/2025-07/NPR%20logo.jpg?itok=TY6KtLoq)](https://www.cato.org/blog/win-liberty-congress-defunds-cpb-npr-pbs) 

blog 

### [A Win for Liberty: Congress Defunds CPB, NPR, and PBS](/blog/win-liberty-congress-defunds-cpb-npr-pbs) 

By [Michael Chapman](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-chapman) 

In a small but politically significant win for liberty, Congress has passed the 2025 Rescissions Act, eliminating $9.1 billion in previously allocated funds—including $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which helps fund NPR and PBS.

[![harvard university](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/content_teaser/public/2025-05/GettyImages-157330511.jpg?itok=S-nMX7s2)](https://www.cato.org/commentary/giving-federal-funds-would-do-harvard-good) 

Commentary 

### [Giving Up Federal Funds Would Do Harvard Good](/commentary/giving-federal-funds-would-do-harvard-good) 

By [Jeffrey Miron](https://www.cato.org/people/jeffrey-miron) and Jacob Winter 

Even if Harvard wins its legal battle over existing federal funds, which is uncertain, the risk of future interventions remains; another administration could reinterpret the ruling to allow additional demands or convince Congress to shrink research funding.

[![](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/content_teaser/public/brightcove/videos/images/posters/image_35926.jpg?itok=yTS9a7-B)](https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-video/check-fed-why-politically-motivated-monetary-policy-dangerous) 

Cato Video 

### [A Check-In on the Fed: Why Politically Motivated Monetary Policy Is Dangerous and Counterproductive](/multimedia/cato-video/check-fed-why-politically-motivated-monetary-policy-dangerous) 

Featuring [Norbert J. Michel](https://www.cato.org/people/norbert-michel) and [Jai Kedia](https://www.cato.org/people/jai-kedia) 

It is easy, and increasingly common, for politicians to blame the Fed and deflect criticism from themselves.

[![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) 
This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/). 

##### Featuring 

[![Ryan Bourne](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-01/Ryan%20Bourne.jpg?itok=nv8-2r7d)](/people/ryan-bourne) 

##### [Ryan Bourne](/people/ryan-bourne)

R. Evan Scharf Chair for the Public Understanding of Economics, Cato Institute

[ 

](https://x.com/MrRBourne) [ 

](mailto:rbourne@cato.org) 

[![Emily Ekins](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-01/Emily%20Ekins.jpg?itok=O6P9UmCC)](/people/emily-ekins) 

##### [Emily Ekins](/people/emily-ekins)

Vice President for Policy and Society, Cato Institute

[ 

](https://x.com/emilyekins) 

[![Gene Healy](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-01/Gene%20Healy.jpg?itok=EhkBZWC4)](/people/gene-healy) 

##### [Gene Healy](/people/gene-healy)

Former Senior Vice President for Policy, Cato Institute

[![j-mironcropped.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-04/j-mironcropped.jpg?itok=dkHQXJBB)](/people/jeffrey-miron) 

##### [Jeffrey Miron](/people/jeffrey-miron)

Director, Graduate and Undergraduate Studies, Department of Economics at Harvard University

[ 

](https://x.com/jeffreyamiron) [ 

](mailto:jmiron@cato.org)