NAACP leader defends Harvard President Claudine Gay, says critics are ‘advancing a White supremacist agenda’

NAACP President Derrick Johnson defended embattled Harvard President Claudine Gay, claiming "attacks on her leadership are nothing more than political theatrics advancing a White supremacist agenda."

Gay has come under fire in recent weeks for both backlash to controversial comments about antisemitism and accusations of plagiarism. Harvard University’s highest governing body is standing by her, although it recently admitted a probe found "instances of inadequate citation" in her academic writings. 

During congressional testimony last week, Gay was repeatedly asked if calling for the genocide of Jews was against Harvard policy. She didn't give a clear answer and repeatedly said it depended on the "context." Following intense backlash, she issued a statement clarifying that the university has a staunch position against calls for violence against the Jewish community. 

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NAACP President Derrick Johnson defended embattled Harvard President Claudine Gay, claiming "attacks on her leadership are nothing more than political theatrics advancing a White supremacist agenda." (Getty)

Johnson took to social media to express his support for Gay.

"Enough is enough," he wrote on X. "Harvard President Claudine Gay is a distinguished scholar and professor with decades of service in higher education. The recent attacks on her leadership are nothing more than political theatrics advancing a White supremacist agenda."

Johnson also addressed sharp criticism of Gay from billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, a Harvard alumnus.

Johnson’s social media message included a link to an Essence piece headlined, "Bill Ackman’s Comments On Claudine Gay Are An Unabashed, Racist Attack And Clear Misogynoir," which called Gay’s resume "exemplary."

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Claudine Gay, president of Harvard University, during a House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.  (Haiyun Jiang/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"Whatever you think about current events, there can be no dispute over her qualifications," Alphonso David wrote for Essence. 

"Why, then, did Ackman and others shift their rhetoric? It’s a very specific kind of microaggression and dog whistle, one that Scholar and Professor Moya Bailey has termed misogynoir – a type of oppression and discrimination uniquely experienced by Black women," he continued. "Make no mistake: Ackman’s statement on President Gay and equating diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to modern-day McCarthyism have nothing to do with combating antisemitism. Rather, Ackman is choosing to inflame anti-woke culture wars against the most visible Black woman he could target."

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Protest trucks demanding Harvard President Clauding Gay be fired are circling the Ivy League campus on Sunday.  (Fox News Digital)

Ackman responded to Johnson on X, writing, "Now I am a White supremacist apparently. Am I also antisemitic because I suggested that @MIT’s Kornbluth should resign or be fired? Am I anti-Christian because I said @Penn’s Magill should be fired? Why must one be deemed a racist or White supremacist when one raises legitimate criticisms about a leader who comes from a minority community?"

Ackman was referring to MIT President Sally Kornbluth and University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill, who testified alongside Gay during the widely criticized House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing earlier this month. 

Magill has since resigned. 

Fox News’ Gabriel Hays contributed to this report. 

Brian Flood is a media editor/reporter for FOX News Digital. Story tips can be sent to brian.flood@fox.com and on Twitter: @briansflood.