Trump ups the ante in his fight with Harvard

United States President Donald Trump has escalated his long-running confrontation with Harvard University, saying his administration will seek $1bn in damages from the Ivy League institution.

Trump announced the move late on Monday in a post on his Truth Social platform, without spelling out the precise legal basis for the claim. The message nonetheless marked a sharp new turn in a dispute that has already dragged through courts and negotiations for months.

“We are now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University,” Trump wrote.

Harvard, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has emerged as the most prominent symbol of Trump’s broader campaign against elite US universities. Since returning to office, he and senior officials have repeatedly accused top campuses of promoting what they describe as “woke, socialist and anti-American” ideas, with particular focus on pro-Palestine protests, diversity, equity and inclusion programmes, and alleged failures to protect Jewish students.

The timing of Trump’s latest post appeared to be tied to reporting by The New York Times, which said earlier on Monday that the administration had dropped a demand for a $200m payment from Harvard. That figure had reportedly been floated as part of talks following a court ruling that went against the White House.

In September, a federal judge found that the administration had acted unlawfully when it cancelled more than $2.2bn in Harvard research grants. The White House is appealing that decision, and the $200m payment had been discussed as part of a possible settlement, according to the Times, which cited four anonymous sources.

Trump did not directly mention the $200m in his Truth Social posts, but he rejected the paper’s reporting outright. The “Failing New York Times story was completely wrong concerning Harvard University”, he wrote, accusing the university of “feeding a lot of ‘nonsense’” to the newspaper.

“This should be a Criminal, not Civil, event, and Harvard will have to live with the consequences of their wrongdoings,” Trump added. “In any event, this case will continue until justice is served.”

He also used the post to push back against references in the Times article to slipping approval ratings, a weak economy and the killing of two US citizens by federal agents during an immigration crackdown. “My Poll Numbers are Great!” he wrote.

The Harvard dispute sits within a wider effort by the administration to reshape higher education through executive action and funding pressure. Soon after taking office, Trump signed orders directing agencies to move against DEI initiatives and to intensify action on antisemitism on campuses. The Department of Justice later set up a task force to “root out anti-Semitic harassment in schools and on college campuses”, naming 10 institutions it said had failed to protect Jewish students.

Several universities have opted to cut deals rather than fight. Columbia University agreed to ban face masks, give campus police broader arrest powers, and install new oversight of certain academic departments. Brown University said it would pay $50m into workforce training programmes in Rhode Island to restore lost funding.

Others have resisted. Last October, the administration approached nine universities with a proposed compact setting out conditions for “preferential access” to federal funds. At least seven declined.