The confrontation between Harvard University and President Donald Trump has escalated, with the Ivy League school turning down sweeping policy dictates from the White House. The move prompted Trump to threaten the revocation of Harvard's tax-exempt status, charging that the university was politically biased.
Harvard has already lost a serious financial punch in the form of $2.2 billion in frozen federal funds at the hands of the Trump administration. The freeze followed Harvard's refusal to fall into line on a sweeping set of mandates aimed at the school's administrative procedures, academic policies, and measures to enforce civil rights.
Trump, through a Truth Social post, announced that Harvard "should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity" if it doesn't obey his orders, which involve reforms to student admissions and faculty power. He went on to argue further, "Tax-exempt status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST."
The initial demands, laid out in early April, called for the closure of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices, increased collaboration with immigration authorities in terms of international student screening, and comprehensive internal reforms to hiring, admissions, and governance structures.
On Friday, the administration turned up the heat by releasing an expanded list of demands, which called for a political review of both students and professors.
Harvard replied by making the letter public and staunchly rejecting the White House conditions.
In a letter to the Harvard community, President Alan Garber forcefully defended the institution's autonomy. "We will not negotiate our independence or constitutional rights," Garber wrote. "No government should dictate what a private university teaches or whom it hires and admits.
In response to Harvard's reaction, the Trump administration's Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced a freeze on $2.2 billion in multi-year federal grants and the cancellation of $60 million in existing government contracts.
The task force condemned Harvard's position, stating, "Harvard's response today demonstrates an entitlement mentality that needs to be addressed. Taxpayer funding includes the responsibility to enforce civil rights protections."
This conflict is playing out against the backdrop of increased turmoil on American university campuses, fueled by demonstrations over the current Hamas-Israel conflict in Gaza. Some of these protests have become violent, attracting law enforcement and counter-protesters.
Student protesters have been accused by critics, including Trump and some Republican lawmakers, of being in league with Hamas, a terrorist organization designated by the United States and many other nations.
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