Trump lobs new threat against Harvard one day after it defied his demands
President Donald Trump issued new threats against Harvard University after it defied the administration's demands to crack down on campus activism.
The Trump administration announced it was freezing more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts with the school after it refused to demands to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs, prohibit masks at campus protests, make reforms to its hiring and admissions, and target faculty and administrators who publicly oppose the president's agenda.
"Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting 'Sickness?'" Trump posted Tuesday morning on Truth Social. "Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!"
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Harvard, the nation's oldest and wealthiest university, is classified by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is exempt from Massachusetts sales and use tax.
The school has an endowment of more than $50 million, which strengthens its position to push back against the administration as it seeks to crack down on protests against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
“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. “Harvard or any institution that wishes to violate Title VI is, by law, not eligible for federal funding.”