President Donald Trump made a new announcement about how the federal government would treat Harvard University in a post Friday.
“We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!” the president posted on Truth Social.
In April, Trump had floated the idea of Harvard losing its tax-exempt status.
“Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’” Trump wrote on Truth Social April 15.
“Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!”
Last month, the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal government grants given to Harvard, which then sued.
“The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” Harvard President Alan Garber told the Harvard community, adding, “No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”
White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields told The New York Times, “The gravy train of federal assistance to institutions like Harvard, which enrich their grossly overpaid bureaucrats with tax dollars from struggling American families, is coming to an end.”
“Taxpayer funds are a privilege, and Harvard fails to meet the basic conditions required to access that privilege,” he added.
Prior to freezing funds, the Trump administration sent a letter to the Harvard president, saying that the U.S. “has invested in Harvard University’s operations because of the value to the country of scholarly discovery and academic excellence.”
“But an investment is not an entitlement. It depends on Harvard upholding federal civil rights laws, and it only makes sense if Harvard fosters the kind of environment that produces intellectual creativity and scholarly rigor, both of which are antithetical to ideological capture,” the letter continued.
“Harvard has in recent years failed to live up to both the intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment.”
On Thursday night, while addressing University of Alabama graduates, Trump referred to the Ivy League university.
“It is clear to see the next chapter of the American story will not be written by the Harvard Crimson It will be written by you, the Crimson Tide,” Trump said, alluding to Harvard’s student newspaper and a nickname for the University of Alabama’s football team.
This is a breaking news story and it will be updated.
