Donald Trump has announced plans to seek $1 billion in damages from Harvard University, intensifying his administration’s push to hold ‘elite’ institutions accountable over what officials say are serious failures around campus extremism and ideological bias.
The move follows reports the administration rejected a previously discussed $200 million settlement, with Trump accusing Harvard of spreading misinformation through sympathetic media coverage.
Administration officials have repeatedly criticised Harvard for what they say was a weak response to antisemitism concerns during pro-Palestinian protests, accusations the university denies. Harvard has become a focal point in the White House’s broader effort to challenge what it describes as entrenched “woke” and radical left influence across American universities.
Last year, Trump moved to revoke roughly $2 billion in research grants and freeze federal funding to the university, triggering legal challenges that temporarily restored funding. The administration has vowed to continue challenging court rulings it believes undermine federal oversight.
In announcing the lawsuit, Trump accused Harvard of “serious and heinous illegalities” and signalled he is prepared to escalate further, including reconsidering the university’s tax-exempt status and control of patents tied to federally funded research. Other Ivy League universities, including Columbia, Penn and Brown, previously reached agreements with the administration to preserve funding rather than pursue lengthy court battles.
Image credit: Xiangkun Zhu
