EXCLUSIVE: Former Dem. congresswoman taught about fascism through anti-Trump memes, whistleblower says

A University of Michigan professor has repeatedly portrayed President Donald Trump as a fascist dictator through meme imagery in a political science class, according to a student whistleblower.

The whistleblower revealed that overtly leftist political messaging dominated the classroom. 

“The syllabus included political cartoons portraying Donald Trump in overwhelmingly negative ways, such as his mugshot captioned ‘I run the world, I run the country,’ and another showing him riding an elephant labeled ‘fascist,’” the whistleblower told Campus Reform on Tuesday. 

Lynn Rivers, the professor, is a former congresswoman who represented Michigan’s 13th Congressional District as a member of the Democratic Party. For the fall 2025 semester, she instructs a course called “Congress and the Presidency: The Battle for Control.”

Campus Reform obtained access to the syllabus.

“Some depictions went even further,” the whistleblower continued, “portraying Trump as a dictator, a fascist, and even comparing him to Hitler, with one image showing military soldiers wearing ‘T’ armbands designed to mirror Nazi imagery.” 

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Yet another image features a cartoon Trump saying “And I’m not a dictator, but I can do anything I want,” while standing next to a caricature of former President Richard Nixon, saying his infamous line, “I am not a crook.”

Campus Reform obtained exclusive access to the images in question, which are visibly consistent with the whistleblower’s testimony. It was also reported that required class readings have come almost exclusively from left-wing sources. 

The student whistleblower said “On one specific occasion, she went over a list of characteristics associated with authoritarian regimes and directly applied them to the Trump administration.”

The most concerning moment reported by the whistleblower was when the assassination of Charlie Kirk was brought up for discussion. 

“When the professor raised the topic, she showed no empathy or compassion,” the whistleblower stated. “This was not viewed as a tragedy; instead, classmates who spoke out said his death seemed both ironic and excessively publicized.”  

The whistleblower expressed not feeling safe sharing conservative viewpoints in the classroom. 

“While I have not witnessed students being directly punished for disagreeing, the atmosphere has been discouraging enough that I have chosen to remain silent, not because I lack the courage to speak, but because I do not feel safe doing so,” the whistleblower said. 

Though this student has now chosen to come forward and speak out, many others feel that their conservative ideas are ostracized by higher education. Indeed, a recent study found that nearly 90 percent of students admit to faking progressive opinions to get good grades. 

Campus Reform reached out to Rivers for comment. In response, Rivers projected a picture of the author during a class lecture and said she would not be answering the email. Campus Reform reached out yet again to confirm but has not heard a response by publication. 

During her time in Congress spanning eight years, Rivers vehemently pushed for easier access to abortion. 

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Notably, Rivers opposed H.R. 4965, also known as the “Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2002.”

Introduced in the 107th Congress, H.R. 4965 sought to federally prohibit doctors from performing partial-birth abortion procedures. 

These procedures typically involved dilating the mother’s cervix, then delivering the fetus feet-first until only the head remained inside the womb. The abortionist would then puncture the head with a sharp tool, allowing the deceased fetus to be fully extracted. 

Rivers voted “no” on the ban. 

A 2002 CNN column reported that Rivers was also backed by an estimated $1 million from Emily’s List, a left-wing political organization that supports female Democratic candidates who advance abortion access. 

Campus Reform previously reported on Rivers. During one class lecture, Rivers compared Make America Great Again (MAGA) hats to Nazi uniforms.  

“They see his anger, his rage, his willingness to attack people, to vilify, to humiliate people, they’re on board with that because he’s essentially attacking people they don’t like,” Rivers said of Trump supporters at the time. 

Campus Reform also contacted the University of Michigan for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.