Critics cheer resignation of 'antisemitic plagiarist' Harvard president Claudine Gay: 'Bye Felicia'

Critics of embattled Harvard president Claudine Gay celebrated Tuesday after she announced her decision to resign from her post after facing intense backlash in recent weeks following controversial comments about antisemitism on the university's campus and accusations of plagiarism.

In a letter to members of the Harvard community, Gay said she was stepping down as president but will return to the Harvard faculty despite widespread plagiarism allegations against her. 

"I will always deliver results. The resignation of Harvard’s antisemitic plagiarist president is long overdue," House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital following Gay's announcement. 

HARVARD PRESIDENT CLAUDINE GAY RESIGNS AMID ANTISEMITISM, PLAGIARISM CONTROVERSIES

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., Harvard President Claudine Gay, and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. (Getty Images)

"Claudine Gay’s morally bankrupt answers to my questions made history as the most viewed Congressional testimony in the history of the U.S. Congress. Her answers were absolutely pathetic and devoid of the moral leadership and academic integrity required of the President of Harvard," she said. 

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told Fox that Gay's resignation "should have happened weeks ago following her inexcusable failure to immediately and unequivocally state that calls for the genocide of Jews aren’t welcome on her campus."

"I am disgusted by the antisemitism that is being tolerated by so many across our country. We must strongly stand with our Jewish students and the Jewish community, because ‘never again’ is now," she added.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy reacted to Gay's resignation by telling Fox it was time to end affirmative action hiring on college campuses, just as the Supreme Court did in college admissions.

Harvard Pres. Claudine Gay testified before Congress over antisemitism on the college campus (Getty Images)

HARVARD STUDENTS PEN EDITORIAL CALLING ON PRESIDENT GAY TO RESIGN, STATING SHE HAS 'FAILED'

Michael Markey, a Republican candidate for Michigan's 3rd Congressional District and a Harvard alumnus, told Fox that Gay's resignation "couldn't come soon enough," and said her tenure would be "marred by the silencing of conservative voices on campus while promoting calls for genocide against Jews."

"After a month of plagiarism scandals and an embarrassing congressional hearing, Claudine Gay’s tenure at Harvard will be remembered as a stain on the institution for years to come," he added.

Others took to social media to cheer the resignation, including Rep. John James, R-Mich., who wrote, "The news of Claudine Gay's resignation as Harvard's President comes after I questioned her just last month about what actions she'd take to combat anti-semitism. Her failure to address this matter is the reason I welcome the news that she has resigned."

"This is the right move. Antisemitism on college campuses has to stop," wrote Rep. Rudy Yakym, R-Ind., while former California Republican Party Chairwoman Harmeet Dhillon simply wrote, "Bye Felicia."

Supporters of Palestinians gather at Harvard University to show their support for Palestinians in Gaza at a rally in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on October 14, 2023. (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

Gay, as well as the presidents of MIT and UPenn, faced a line of questioning at a House Education and the Workforce hearing last month over whether calls for intifada, or the genocide of Jews, on campus violated their institutions' codes of conduct or policies against bullying and harassment. 

All three faced harsh backlash for failing to clarify and insisted more context was needed. 

Fox News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

Brandon Gillespie is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on X at @BGillespieAL.