US President Donald Trump has announced that his administration will seek $1 billion in damages from Harvard University, sharply escalating an ongoing dispute with the Ivy League institution over allegations of ideological bias and campus conduct.
Trump made the declaration on Monday via his Truth Social platform, dismissing reports that Harvard had secured concessions from the federal government during settlement negotiations.
“We are now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University,” the president wrote.
The statement followed a report by The New York Times suggesting that Harvard had persuaded the administration to drop an earlier demand for a $200 million settlement after months of negotiations. Trump, however, rejected that narrative, accusing the university of attempting to avoid a much larger financial penalty.
Trump administration officials have repeatedly accused Harvard and other elite universities of promoting what they describe as “woke” ideology and failing to adequately protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests on campus. The administration has pursued legal complaints and threatened steep financial penalties, a move critics have described as a pressure campaign against liberal-leaning academic institutions.
Earlier, Trump told reporters that talks with Harvard had once neared a potential $500 million settlement, which would have included provisions such as the creation of trade schools. According to Trump, those proposals were ultimately rejected.
“They wanted to do a convoluted job training concept, but it was turned down because it was wholly inadequate and would not have been successful,” Trump wrote.
“It was merely a way for Harvard to escape a large cash settlement of more than $500 million — a figure that should be much higher for the serious and heinous illegalities they have committed,” he added, without specifying the alleged violations.
The dispute mirrors similar confrontations between the Trump administration and other Ivy League schools. Last summer, Columbia University agreed to pay $200 million to the federal government and committed to policies barring the consideration of race in admissions and hiring decisions.
Likewise, the University of Pennsylvania announced policy changes last year in response to administration concerns, including a ban on transgender women competing in women’s sports.
The clash with Harvard now appears set to move from negotiation to legal confrontation, further intensifying the administration’s broader campaign to reshape higher education policy and governance in the United States.
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