Amid a deepening standoff with Harvard College, US President Donald Trump on Friday introduced plans to strip the celebrated Ivy League establishment of its tax-exempt standing. The transfer is the newest in a sequence of actions by the Trump administration in opposition to elite universities.
“We’re going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Standing. It’s what they deserve!” Trump posted on Fact Social, although he didn’t present a timeline for when the measure may be enforced.
Earlier this week, the President had additionally indicated that his administration would possibly halt federal grants to Harvard, additional intensifying the confrontation between the White Home and the college.
The Trump administration has particularly focused Harvard over allegations of antisemitism linked to pro-Palestinian protests on campus. These demonstrations emerged in response to Israel’s navy actions in Gaza following the October 2023 assault by Palestinian Hamas militants.
In latest weeks, the administration has ramped up its actions, initiating a proper assessment of practically $9 billion in federal funding allotted to Harvard, because the Reuters reported. It has additionally demanded the college ban range, fairness, and inclusion (DEI) applications, and impose stricter controls on pro-Palestinian teams and the usage of masks throughout protests.
Harvard, nonetheless, has pushed again strongly. In early April, the college rejected most of the administration’s calls for, framing them as an infringement on free speech and educational freedom. It additionally filed a lawsuit in opposition to the Trump administration after $2.3 billion in federal funding was suspended, whereas reiterating its dedication to combating discrimination on campus.
The administration has equally warned different educational establishments of funding cuts over points together with pro-Palestinian demonstrations, DEI insurance policies, local weather motion, and transgender rights.
Protesting teams — together with some Jewish organisations — have accused the administration of equating criticism of Israel’s navy operations with antisemitism, and of decoding advocacy for Palestinian rights as assist for extremism.
