In a late-night social media post, Trump wrote that the federal government also wanted “no further collaboration with Harvard in the future.”
Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump is demanding that Harvard University pay $1 billion to the federal government, escalating a high-profile, nearly year-long battle over alleged anti-Semitism on campus.
The request was posted on Truth Social late Monday night, six hours after Harvard was in talks with the Trump administration. new york times Reports say the federal government has given up on its request for financial penalties. The Trump administration has reportedly sought up to $200 million from Harvard University, which has refused to reach settlements with the federal government like some Ivy League schools and other institutions. While others struck deals, Harvard took Trump to court and won, so far fending off attacks that would strip it of federal research funding and limit its ability to host international students.
On Monday night, Trump disputed the following reports new york times.
“Strongly anti-Semitic Harvard has been feeding a lot of ‘bullshit’ to the failing New York Times. Harvard has been behaving terribly for a long time!” Trump wrote online.
The president claimed that Harvard “wanted to implement a complex vocational training concept” in lieu of a monetary solution, but that the proposal was “rejected” and “totally inadequate.” He added that financial penalties were needed because of “the serious and heinous violations they committed.”
Now, Trump is upping the ante on a potential settlement.
“We are now seeking $1 billion in damages and do not want any further collaboration with Harvard in the future,” Trump wrote in the first of two articles questioning the report. (Trump requested new york times Changes to Truth Social’s coverage in second post. )
new york times There have been reports since July that a settlement with Harvard was imminent, and officials such as Education Secretary Linda McMahon have been responding to the claims in public for months. But Trump’s latest billion-dollar demand suggests any such deal remains out of reach.
Initial reports indicate Harvard is willing to pay up to $500 million to rebuild its relationship with the federal government, specifically using the funds for workforce programs. The Trump administration has reached settlements with six other institutions: the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, Brown University, the University of Virginia, Cornell University and Northwestern University. Among the universities that reached a settlement, Brown University reached an agreement to allocate $50 million to workforce development projects in its home state of Rhode Island. In a related settlement, Cornell University agreed to invest $30 million in agricultural research.
Trump also took aim at Harvard University President Alan Garber in a late-night posting spree on Monday.
“Harvard President Dr. Alan Garber has done a terrible job of correcting a very bad situation at his institution and, more importantly, America itself. He was hired after allegations of anti-Semitism were made – I want to know why???” Trump wrote on social media.
Garber took over on an interim basis in early 2024 after then-President Claudine Gay resigned amid a public relations firestorm over a damaging performance at a congressional anti-Semitism hearing and mounting accusations of plagiarism. Harvard revoked Garber’s interim tag in August 2024 and extended his tenure late last year.
Harvard University did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Tuesday morning.
