Republican governor of Virginia, elected in 2021. Mr Youngkin appointed 13 of the 17 members of the University of Virginia's Board of Visitors, shifting it rightward. The board voted to dissolve UVA's office for diversity, equity and inclusion. He vetoed a proposal to give Virginia's public universities independent lawyers—leaving UVA's counsel under the state attorney-general, a Republican, and constraining the university president's ability to resist federal pressure.
The Trump administration's Department of Justice used the board's composition to pressure UVA president James Ryan, who had led the university since 2018, into resigning in mid-2025.
Cutting the space budget really restores my faith in humanity. It eliminates dreams, goals, and ideals and lets us get straight to the business of hate, debauchery, and self-annihilation."