CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) Unsurprisingly, reaction to news that the Trump administration is attempting to pressure University of Virginia president Jim Ryan to resign split along party lines.

Republican nominee for lieutenant governor John Reid indicated support for a potential change in leadership.

“UVA is Virginia’s great flagship University and a lot of my family studied and achieved degrees in Charlottesville, but it’s obvious that there have been huge distractions and bad management decisions in recent years, so no one should be surprised that the feds have noticed,” Reid told Cville Right Now on Friday. “Maybe the stubborn, belligerent, racist attitude in the administration needs to change?”

Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, Democrats, praised Ryan’s leadership and condemned the Department of Justice for politicizing decisions they said should be made by the school’s Board of Visitors.

“Virginia’s economy and prosperity depend on the strength and integrity of our higher education system,” the duo said in a joint statement sent to Cville Right Now. “It is outrageous that officials in the Trump Department of Justice are pressuring the Commonwealth’s flagship university to remove President Ryan—a strong leader who has served UVA honorably and moved the university forward—over ridiculous ‘culture war’ traps. Decisions about UVA’s leadership belong solely to its Board of Visitors, in keeping with Virginia’s well-established and respected system of higher education governance. This is a mistake that hurts Virginia’s future.”

Thursday, the New York Times reported that the Trump Administration was pushing UVA to part ways with Ryan, the school’s president since 2018, while the Department of Justice investigates the school for failing to comply with President Trump’s demands that diversity, equity and inclusion programs be completely eliminated.

According to the Times report, DOJ officials have repeatedly called for Ryan’s resignation over the past month, believing he has continued DEI initiatives in violation of Trump’s wishes.

The school could lose millions in federal funds if it doesn’t cave to the pressure from the White House.

“UVA is committed to complying with all federal laws and has been cooperating with the Department of Justice in the ongoing inquiries,” a school spokesperson told Cville Right Now on Friday. “The federal government’s support of the University is essential to continue the core mission of research, education, and clinical care.”