In an extraordinary display of solidarity, more than 80 Nobel Prize winners have joined forces to endorse Kamala Harris for the presidency, while sounding the alarm about the potential dangers a Donald Trump administration could pose to the future of science and the United States’ ability to combat climate change.
Laureates Unite for Unprecedented Endorsement
The open letter, signed by 82 American Nobel laureates spanning the fields of physics, chemistry, economics, and medicine, underscores the gravity of the upcoming presidential election. “This is the most consequential presidential election in a long time, perhaps ever, for the future of science and the United States,” the letter asserts.
Among the signatories are luminaries who have made groundbreaking contributions to their respective fields, such as the physicist involved in the discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation—remnants of the Big Bang—and the immunologist instrumental in developing a specific type of COVID-19 vaccine. The list also includes recent Nobel winners from October 2024, demonstrating the urgency and relevance of their message.
Harris Praised for Recognizing Science’s Role
The Nobel laureates commend Harris for her understanding of the critical role science and technology have played in improving living standards and life expectancies over the past two centuries. They appreciate her acknowledgment of the invaluable contributions immigrants make to scientific progress, both nationally and globally.
I hope it’s a wake-up call for people. A consequence of this election is the really profound impact that his agenda has on science and technology.
Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, 2001
Trump’s Science Cuts and “Anti-Science” Stance Spark Concern
In stark contrast, the letter portrays Trump as a potential threat to progress who could “jeopardize any advancements in our standards of living and impede our responses to climate change.” This assessment is rooted in the significant cuts to science funding Trump proposed during his tenure, as well as what Joseph Stiglitz, a 2001 Nobel economics laureate, perceives as the former president’s “anti-science” and “anti-university” stances.
Stiglitz, an economist at Columbia University, cites the “enormous cuts in science budgets” that Trump put forward during his presidency as a primary motivation for signing the letter. He hopes the laureates’ message serves as a “wake-up call” about the profound impact the election outcome could have on science and technology.
Economists Deem Harris’ Agenda “Vastly Superior”
Separately, 23 U.S. winners of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences have expressed their support for Harris’ economic agenda in another letter. Despite individual differences on specific policies, they collectively view Harris’ plans as “vastly superior” to Trump’s proposed economic strategies in terms of fostering the nation’s health, investment, sustainability, resilience, employment opportunities, and fairness.
As the 2024 presidential race heats up, the resounding endorsement of Kamala Harris by Nobel Prize winners across various disciplines sends a powerful message about the stakes involved for the scientific community and the nation as a whole. Their unified voice serves as a clarion call for voters to consider the long-term implications of their choice on the progress and prosperity of the United States.
