When Does Persuasion Drift Into Extortion?
By
Leonard Zwelling
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/24/opinion/trump-columbia-courts-law-firms.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/us/politics/trump-executive-order-law-firm-jenner-block.html
We can all agree that Donald Trump is a transactional man. His idea of a deal is getting the other guy to do what he wants. I think this is what many of his followers admire so much—the illusion that he is a great deal maker, a remarkable persuader, when just in the past few weeks, we realize he is just an extortionist.
I will not bore you with the details of Trump’s attack on a prominent Democratic law firm called Paul, Weiss, (see attachment of a conversation between Bret Stephens and Gail Collins in The New York Times), but suffice it to say that Trump threatened their access to federal courts and the firm capitulated by offering to do $40 million in pro bono work for Trump causes and kissing Trump’s ring. And President Trump is expanding his war on lawyers who have prosecuted him in the past (see second story). That is not politics as usual. That’s extortion.
In another “deal” Trump withdrew $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University because the leadership of the university had mishandled its policy and execution in response to the antisemitism on its campus. He now has his sights set on Harvard and Princeton.
Now I agree with Bret Stephens that Columbia should have dealt with this long before Trump had to dock its funding. Nonetheless, that is no way to get what you want, although I am quite sure most of Trump World thought it just fine. Columbia capitulated in the hope of getting its money back. That too is extortion.
On the international front, Trump is bullying Ukraine into giving up territory to Russia. He unsuccessfully tried to bully Hamas. This will undoubtedly cost thousands of lives, most at the hands of Israel, the rest will be the few living hostages at the hands of Hamas. It is quite clear now that Israel has a free hand to decimate Gaza and all life within. Again, it’s not that the goal of a free Gaza and an end to Hamas isn’t admirable, but it does matter how you get there. When extortion doesn’t work, there’s always violence and Trump made Hamas an offer he thought they couldn’t refuse. They did refuse. Israel took it from there.
Finally, when it comes to extortion, you have to hand it to the Texas State Legislature where a new proposal from a representative from Conroe has introduced legislation that will essentially end Faculty Senates in the UT System. That’s not even extortion. That’s the nuclear option when it comes to shared governance.
And a little closer to home, consider the plight of the current Pediatric faculty at MD Anderson who, by early 2026, will be the Pediatrics faculty of Texas Children’s oncology department as far as I can tell. They will be working there. They’ll be parking there. I wonder who will be paying them. MD Anderson? Doubtful. If so, why do the deal? Texas Children’s got MD Anderson know-how. MD Anderson off-loaded personnel costs and gained many more beds to use for adult patients. Again, it is not that the idea of a combined pediatric oncology service plus a new free-standing children’s cancer hospital in Houston is a bad idea but: what happens to the MD Anderson affiliation with Children’s Memorial Hermann for cancer care? Are TCH and MD Anderson faculty to be paid differently? Will there really be anything left of Pediatrics at Anderson or will the basic scientists be farmed out to other basic science departments at Anderson and the AYA (Adolescents and Young Adults) team be absorbed into the Division of Cancer Medicine? Do I really have to ask?
We all know strong arm tactics when we see them. Call them what you will—persuasion, good for the team, or extortion. It’s all the same to me.
If those affected are not involved in the decision, it’s extortion.
“Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.” (Peter Townsend)
