Trump Administration Seeks $1 Billion From Harvard Over Alleged “Antisemitism”

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump announced late Monday that his administration is pursuing $1 billion in damages from Harvard University, escalating a long-running dispute over allegations of “antisemitism.”

In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused Harvard of being “strongly antisemitic” and criticized its president, Alan Garber, saying he “has done a terrible job of rectifying a very bad situation for his institution and, more importantly, America itself.”

Since returning to office, Trump has targeted US universities, including Harvard, over pro-Palestine protests on campuses, framing them as instances of “antisemitism” and violations of civil rights allegedly enabled by “radical left” ideologies.

Academics and free-speech advocates have warned that such claims threaten academic independence and freedom.

The announcement came hours after The New York Times reported that the administration had dropped an earlier demand for $200 million as part of settlement discussions.

Referencing the report, Trump accused Harvard of “feeding a lot of ‘nonsense’” to the media and said the university “has been, for a long time, behaving very badly.”

Trump said his administration now seeks $1 billion in damages and intends to sever all future ties with Harvard.

The dispute follows previous moves by the administration, including threats to withhold up to $9 billion in federal research funding, demands to dismantle diversity and inclusion programs, reporting requirements for international students, and attempts to block Harvard from enrolling international students.

Harvard responded last April by filing a lawsuit, accusing the administration of attempting to control academic decision-making. Garber stated that the university would not relinquish its independence or constitutional rights.