Trump says seeking US$1 billion from Harvard in ‘damages’
US president escalates fight with the Ivy League giant, without specifying the harms the university had allegedly caused
US President Donald Trump said on Monday his administration would seek US$1 billion in damages from Harvard University after a New York Times report said the college had won some concessions in ongoing settlement negotiations with the government.
“We are now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Trump officials have accused Harvard and other colleges of promoting so-called “woke” ideology while failing to sufficiently protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests, filing legal complaints and demanding exorbitant payouts.
Critics have called it a pressure campaign by the administration on liberal universities.
Fellow Ivy League institution Columbia University agreed to pay the Trump administration US$200 million last summer and pledged to obey rules that bar it from taking race into consideration in admissions or hiring.