Last week, in an appearance at Hamilton College, former President Barack Obama urged universities to stand up to the Trump administration's attacks on freedom of speech. He also said they should reflect on how they might have restricted free speech themselves.

Can we say both things at the same time?

I think we can, and we should. But most of my colleagues think otherwise. If we admit to any inconsistency or wrongdoing, they say, we will be "complicit" with Trump's "narrative" about higher education.

We will also be engaging in "whataboutism," which is the biggest sin of all. It normalizes President Trump by equating him with his opponents.

So let's get one thing straight: There is no equivalence — none — between Trump and the universities he has targeted.

First, and most obviously, he has more power than we do. He's the president, after all.

And he has abused that power by withdrawing federal funds from the University of Pennsylvania — where I teach — and several other institutions. The law says the government can't pull money from a school without a formal hearing and a report to........

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