Even "blue state" university presidents are in a tough spot: they will get negative press (i.e., career advancement threat) if they knuckle under to GOP/DOGE/whoeverthefuck, but they'll also potentially have those consequences from other quarters if they don't.
I don't think you get to be a university president by showing "bold leadership." You get that job by doing exactly what every other university president does, which is usually to make loud pronouncements about supporting the "academic status quo" (including supporting all DEI initiatives) while supporting the societal social status quo (i.e., quasi-corporate behavior, anti-labor actions, etc.) with the actions you don't publicly announce.
Currently, university presidents have few "career-safe" avenues of action.
My uni president has finally (after 3+ weeks and like 1/3 of the federal government usurped) made an announcement obliquely related to the insanity. It's only "you don't have the authorization to give ICE/FBI/whoever any information about students and you don't have the authorization to receive or respond to any kind of warrant so refer them to system General Counsel", but I guess it's something.
Maybe someday, possibly after the union is a smoldering ash heap, we'll get some bold leadership.
), by the time they enter the uni.
♬ 
Foi na escola que aprendi
It was at school that I learned
