The Conservative Activist Pushing Trump to Attack U.S. Colleges

Over the past five years, the activist Christopher Rufo has spearheaded the conservative critique of and assault on critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, organizing effective campaigns against government offices, corporations and American universities.

In the process, Mr. Rufo has become an influential voice in the ear of the Trump administration as it turns his strategy into a wide-ranging government crackdown on higher education.

Michael Barbaro speaks to Mr. Rufo about how far his agenda will go.

Guest: Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist and writer.

Background reading: 

• Mr. Rufo helped make critical race theory a conservative rallying cry.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Chona Kasinger for The New York Times

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