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Among other demands, Trump wants Harvard to dismantle its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; ban masks at campus protests; implement a merit-based admissions and hiring system; and reduce the influence of faculty and administrators he claims are “more committed to activism” than education, a letter to the university said. (Click here to read the full letter)
He's also threatened to remove Harvard's tax-exempt status. Most universities and churches are exempt from paying income taxes, saving them millions annually.
Harvard has become the first American university to openly defy the president’s directive and risk losing federal funding. Faculty at Yale University sent a letter showing solidarity.
“No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” Harvard President Alan Garber was quoted on the school’s official X account, formerly Twitter.
Obama, a 1991 graduate of Harvard Law School, called the White House’s actions “ham-handed” and warned they would “stifle education” in a post on X.
“Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions – rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking concrete steps to make sure all students at Harvard can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect. Let’s hope other institutions follow suit."
This marks Obama’s most forceful return to the political spotlight since Trump’s re-election in November.
While Harvard may have the financial muscle to weather a prolonged standoff—its endowment reached $53.2 billion in 2024—other schools may not be so fortunate.
Trump has warned U.S. colleges to "fall in line or fall off" the federal funding ledger.
“President Trump is working to Make Higher Education Great Again by ending unchecked anti-Semitism and ensuring federal taxpayer dollars do not fund Harvard’s support of dangerous racial discrimination or racially motivated violence,” a White House spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. “Harvard or any institution that wishes to violate Title VI is, by law, not eligible for federal funding.”
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The administration is also demanding that universities fully cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security, which enforces immigration policy, according to the BBC. University students across the country have reportedly been detained by ICE agents on the street and taken to detention centers.
The Trump administration has also revoked the visas of more than 3500 international students nationwide.
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