US President Donald Trump said his administration is seeking $1 billion in damages from Harvard University, escalating a high-profile confrontation between the White House and America’s elite universities over alleged ideological bias and campus protests.
Trump dismisses reports of settlement, escalates legal threat
The president’s remarks followed a New York Times report that suggested Harvard had secured some concessions in ongoing settlement negotiations with the federal government. Trump rejected that characterization, insisting the administration was seeking reparations rather than compromise.
“We are now demanding $1 billion in damages and want nothing to do with Harvard University in the future,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Administration blames Harvard for failing Jewish students
Trump administration officials have accused Harvard and other universities of promoting what they describe as “woke” ideology while failing to adequately protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests on campus. The administration has filed legal complaints and demanded heavy financial penalties in what critics of the strategy describe as a pressure campaign against liberal institutions.
Comparison with Columbia and other Ivy League universities
The dispute with Harvard comes after fellow Ivy League institution Columbia University agreed last summer to pay $200 million to the Trump administration. Columbia also pledged to follow rules prohibiting consideration of race in admissions or hiring decisions.
Another Ivy League school, the University of Pennsylvania, moved to address the administration’s concerns last year by announcing a ban on transgender women from participating in women’s sports.
Reports of decreased demand are conflicting
Earlier Monday, the New York Times reported that the administration had dropped its demand for a $200 million settlement from Harvard after lengthy negotiations. Trump, however, rejected the suggestion that the talks had made meaningful progress.
He recalled earlier discussions about a potential $500 million settlement, which he said included proposals to open business schools.
“They wanted to do a convoluted training concept, but it was rejected because it was completely inadequate and in our opinion would not be successful,” Trump said in a post late Monday night.
Allegations of “heinous illegalities”
The president further argued that such proposals were an attempt to avoid a much larger financial penalty.
“This was merely a way for Harvard to get out of a large monetary settlement of more than $500 million, a number that should have been much higher for the serious and heinous illegalities they committed,” he added, without specifying what laws Harvard allegedly broke.
The full statement focuses on Harvard leadership
In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump accused Harvard of spreading misinformation through the New York Times and sharply criticized its leadership, including university president Alan Garber.
“Variously anti-Semitic Harvard University supplies a lot of ‘nonsense’ to The Failing New York Times. Harvard has behaved very badly for a long time! They wanted to do a convoluted concept of training, but it was rejected because it was completely inadequate and would not, in our opinion, be more successful than the big settlement at Harvard50. Millions of dollars, a number that should be much higher for the serious and heinous illegalities they have committed. This should be a criminal, not a civil event, and Harvard will have to continue until justice is served, Dr. Alan Garber, the president of Harvard has been accused of anti-Semitism – I wonder why we are now demanding one billion dollars in damages and do not want to do anything with Harvard University in the future, “However, some connected to the university think that Harvard has no choice but to cut the deal, which many research universities would try to cut off.” Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP”