President Donald Trump demands Harvard pay $1 billion to end his term Protracted standoff The partnership with the Ivy League campus would double the amount he had previously sought as the two sides appeared no closer to reaching an agreement.
On Monday night, the president upped the ante on social media, saying Harvard University was “performing very poorly.” He said the university would have to pay the government directly as part of any deal — something Harvard objects to — and that his administration wanted “nothing more to do” with Harvard in the future.
Trump’s comments about the “truth society” came in response to a New York Times report that the president dropped his demand for financial payments, lowering the bar for a deal. Trump denies he is conceding.
Harvard University officials had no immediate comment.
Trump’s outburst appeared to plunge both sides into a conflict that Trump had previously said was ending.
Last June, Trump said Harvard was acting “very appropriately” during the negotiations, with a deal just days away. he later said An agreement is being finalized It would require Harvard to invest $500 million in creating “a series of trade schools” rather than paying the government.
The deal appears to have completely fallen apart. Trump said in a social media post that the trade school proposal had been rejected because it was “convoluted” and “totally inadequate.”
Harvard has long been a top target of the Trump administration’s campaign to bring the nation’s most prestigious universities to heel. His officials cut billions of dollars in federal research funding for Harvard University and tried to stop it Recruit foreign students Last April, the campus rejected a series of government requests.
The White House says it is punishing Harvard University for tolerating anti-Semitic bigotry on campus.
In two lawsuits, Harvard said it was unfairly punished for refusing to adopt the administration’s views. A federal judge agreed in December that Reversing funding cuts and called anti-Semitic arguments a “smokescreen.”
Trump’s latest escalation comes as other parts of his higher education campaign falter.
Last fall, the White House invited nine universities to join a “compact” that provides funding priorities in exchange for adopting Trump’s agenda. No school accepted it. In January, the government gave up legal defense Department of Education documents threaten to cut funding for diversity, equity and inclusion policies in schools.
When Trump entered his second term, he made it a top priority to crack down on elite universities, which he said had been overwhelmed by liberal ideas and anti-Semitic bigotry. His officials froze huge research grants that universities had come to rely on for scientific research and medical research.
Several universities have reached deals with the White House to restore funding. Some of the deals include direct payments to governments, including $200 million from Columbia University. Brown University agrees to pay $50 million to state workforce development group.
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