Trump Escalates Clash With Harvard, Vows To Strip University Of Tax-Exempt Status: 'It’s What They Deserve'
President Trump intends to revoke Harvard University's tax-exempt status after the university filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for freezing billions of dollars in federal funding.
In the latest swipe by the US President-led administration against the Ivy League school, Donald Trump said that he would revoke Harvard University’s tax exemption.
“We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social Friday.
The comment by US President comes after Harvard filed a federal lawsuit last month against the Trump administration. According to the Washington Post, the suit argues the government has violated the university’s constitutional rights by freezing billions of dollars in federal funding and imperiling its academic independence.
The US president has also targeted Harvard and other top universities, pausing or freezing billions of dollars in federal grants and contracts. According to WP, a new government task force says that it is investigating schools that the administration deems have failed to adequately protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests that disrupted campuses last year. It is also seeking to push Harvard to incorporate a broader diversity of ideas on its campus.
Recently, the administration has ramped up its action, initiating a formal review of $9 billion in federal funding allocated to Harvard, as Reuters reported. It has also demanded that the varsity ban diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, and impose stricter controls on pro-Palestinian groups and the use of masks during protests.
However, Harvard has pushed back strongly. In April, the university rejected many of the demands by the Trump administration, framing them as an infringement on free speech and academic freedom. Harvard has also filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after $2.3 billion in federal funding was suspended, while reiterating its commitment to combating discrimination on campus.
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