Trump’s team has accused Harvard and other institutions of promoting “woke” ideologies while not adequately safeguarding Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests
US President Donald Trump on Monday announced that his administration would pursue $1 billion in damages from Harvard University, following reports that the college had negotiated some concessions in ongoing settlement discussions.
Trump’s team has accused Harvard and other institutions of promoting “woke” ideologies while not adequately safeguarding Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests.
The administration has filed legal complaints and demanded substantial payouts, which critics describe as a targeted campaign against liberal universities.
On his Truth Social account, Trump wrote: “We are now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University.”
According to the New York Times, the administration dropped an earlier demand of $200 million after lengthy negotiations. Last September, Trump indicated talks were approaching a $500 million settlement, which would have included the creation of trade schools.
“They proposed a complicated job-training plan, which was rejected as wholly inadequate and unlikely to succeed,” Trump said.
He added, “It was merely a way for Harvard to avoid a large cash settlement of over 500 Million Dollars, a figure that should be much higher for the serious and egregious violations they committed,” without specifying any laws.
“This should be a Criminal, not Civil, event,” he continued, without outlining potential criminal charges.
The administration’s actions have drawn criticism from academics, including former Harvard president Claudine Gay, who warned that such pressure threatens academic freedom. “Our government is attacking universities and higher education,” she said in September during an event in the Netherlands.
Gay, who stepped down as Harvard president in 2024, added: “The goal seems to be to undermine institutions of knowledge, which serve as centres for independent thought and information.”
Trump has also previously tried to cut more than $2.6 billion in funding to Harvard and restrict international student admissions, which account for a quarter of the student body.
Other Ivy League institutions have responded to similar pressure. Columbia University agreed to pay $200 million last summer and pledged to remove race from consideration in admissions and hiring, while the University of Pennsylvania announced it would bar transgender women from women’s sports.
AFP
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