Washington, United States. U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration is seeking $1 billion in damages from Harvard University, disputing a New York Times report that the White House had dropped a $200 million settlement demand.
Trump disputes report and cites $1 billion demand
In a Truth Social post late Monday, Trump accused Harvard of “feeding a lot of nonsense” to the New York Times and called the university “Strongly Antisemitic.” He wrote that the administration was “now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University,” without specifying the harms he said the school had caused.
Trump later said the New York Times report was “completely wrong” and demanded a correction.
Harvard response and broader administration actions
Harvard did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The Trump administration has pursued a broader effort to use federal funding to push changes at Harvard and other universities, arguing they are affected by antisemitism and “radical left” ideology. It has canceled hundreds of grants for Harvard researchers, saying the university failed to do enough to address harassment of Jewish students, moves that prompted Harvard to sue the U.S. government.
Other universities and New York Times account
According to the New York Times, the White House’s concession came amid sagging approval ratings for Trump, as he faces outrage over immigration enforcement tactics and the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minnesota.
Several other Ivy League schools, including Columbia University and Brown University, have reached agreements with the administration and accepted certain government demands.
What do you think the dispute between the Trump administration and Harvard will mean for federal funding of universities?