US President Donald Trump has escalated his fight with Harvard University, continuing his campaign against world-class learning institutions. Trump has denounced Harvard for pushing back against his administration’s demands for more authority, as opposed to other universities that have complied with White House pressure.
On his Truth Social site, Trump announced, “Harvard can no longer be regarded even as a decent school of education, and ought not be regarded on any list of the World’s Great Universities or Colleges. Harvard is a JOKE, instructs Hate and Stupidity, and no longer ought to be granted Federal Funds.”
Trump’s position became more belligerent on Tuesday, April 15, when he warned that he would withdraw Harvard’s tax-exempt status as a nonprofit and suspend $2.2 billion in federal funding. He has insisted on reforms in the way the university admits students, employs personnel, and operates its academic programs, even suggesting audits of some departments.
Reacting to this, Harvard President Alan Garber announced that the university would not “bargain over its autonomy or its constitutional freedoms.” The Trump administration has used its pressure campaign as justification with claims about concern regarding what it refers to as unregulated anti-Semitism on university campuses, specifically following demonstrations over Israel’s operations in Gaza. The White House has also exercised pressure over universities regarding racial diversity policies.
