Despite being hailed as resistance hero, Harvard ‘frantically tried’ to work with Trump

Harvard University has been painted as a beacon of resistance in rejecting President Donald Trump’s demands that it change policies, however, a new report revealed that influential school figures have been "frantically" searching for ways to cooperate with the administration.

A New York Times report published Tuesday revealed how many of the school’s leaders and major donors have pushed for the school to cut a deal with Trump behind the scenes, while it has been portrayed as a fierce opponent of the president.

"For weeks leading up to the April 11 letter, the corporation took a very different stance toward the Trump administration. At the urging of some of its biggest donors, the corporation frantically tried to cut a deal with Mr. Trump," The New York Times reported. 

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The report comes as Trump continues his feud with the Massachusetts-based university for not complying with his administration’s list of demands for rooting out antisemitism and progressive ideology on campus.

Harvard President Alan M. Garber composed a statement in response to Trump’s demands, stating that the administration has made it "clear that the intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism in a cooperative and constructive manner."

In response, Trump announced he was freezing $2.2 billion in federal grants to the school and later threatened the school’s tax-exempt status. 

The president suspended federal funding to every Ivy League, besides Penn and Dartmouth, over investigations into anti-Israel protests that have taken place on their campuses since October 2023.

Prior to Garber’s rejection of Trump’s agenda and the media praise it received, The Times reported that the school’s president and many of Harvard’s most influential donors had scrambled to work out a deal with Trump. 

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"Over the past month, as it became clear that Mr. Trump was ratcheting up pressure on Harvard, the school’s president, Dr. Alan Garber, looked for other ways into the White House — including a potential meeting with Mr. Trump himself, according to three people briefed on the matter," the Times reported.

Even after the school officially rejected Trump’s demands, the outlet noted that donors have continued to urge the school to make something work with Trump.

Billionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson and Pershing Square chief executive William A. Ackman said they "believe it is a mistake to fight with the president, according to people who have [been] briefed on their opinions," The Times reported.

It added that Garber and the Harvard Corporation board’s senior fellow, Penny Pritzker, were urged by "many" donors on a recent call to "settle the dispute" with Trump. 

Some of these donors have expressed that Harvard hasn’t done enough to combat antisemitism on campus and that the school has ignored the "rightward shift of the country." 

The Times provided an example: "Len Blavatnik, an oil billionaire and one of President Trump’s top donors, was so unhappy with the situation that he stopped giving money to Harvard and complained repeatedly to Dr. Garber that the school had not reacted quickly nor done enough." However, a source close to Blavatnik told the outlet that the donor has since resumed his donations.

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The paper also noted how Harvard hired more conservative board members in 2024 to deal with concerns its culture was too left-leaning. 

Despite these changes and Garber’s optimism that Trump would be cooperative with Harvard even after hearing that the school would be scrutinized by his administration, The Times reported how the Trump administration’s April 12 demands that the school shut down its D.E.I. programs and review others, felt like a "hostile takeover" to Garber. 

Following Trump’s notice, Harvard Corporation fellows rallied and "decided that Dr. Garber should release a fiery rebuttal to Mr. Trump’s demands." However, as things became more tense between the government and Harvard, "Many of the donors implored the corporation to slow down and negotiate for the sake of the institution, according to three donors on the call."

Garber has not relented in his fight with the Trump administration – Harvard sued the Trump administration on Monday for trying to gain "unprecedented and improper control" – he did "concede" to donors on a recent call "that the White House had raised reasonable issues about antisemitism," the Times stated.

Dr. Garber did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital's request for comment.