Former Biden Antisemitism Envoy Applauds Trump Team for Getting Serious

Deborah Lipstadt, who previously served as the Biden administration’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, says she’s "pleased" to see the Trump administration stepping up to address the issue. Lipstadt, speaking with the New Yorker, made it clear she’s glad the fight against antisemitism is staying on the federal agenda—something she pressed for over her last three years in government.

Now preparing to return to Emory University later this year, Lipstadt’s continued advocacy comes as antisemitic incidents reach record highs for a fourth year running, according to the Anti-Defamation League. She didn’t reply to comment requests on Wednesday, but her published remarks painted a picture of universities scrambling to catch up.

She acknowledged that the Trump administration has been "calling universities to account," especially after widespread complaints about how colleges handled antisemitism after October 7th. Lipstadt noted that many Jewish (and some non-Jewish) observers appreciate the tough approach, though she cautioned that the response is sometimes "going too far." That’s a diplomatic way of saying, maybe don’t bring a bazooka to a policy fight—but at least someone’s finally showing up.

Lipstadt didn’t mince words about higher education’s failures: "The universities failed to address this seriously. And by failing to address this seriously, they failed the Jewish students on campus. They dismissed their grievances. They created an inhospitable atmosphere. We’re now seeing the fruits of that failure." She also warned against weaponizing antisemitism as a political tool, saying, "Antisemitism should not be a cudgel." The real target, she insists, should be the hate itself—not just punishing institutions after the fact.

Her bottom line: universities opened the door to this mess, and now everyone’s dealing with the fallout. If only campus administrators were as good at tackling antisemitism as they are at sending out those all-student emails about parking updates.