In an escalation of tensions in the Trump vs Harvard University feud, the US administration said on Wednesday (local time) that it would stop the university from enrolling international students if it does not give in to the government’s demands that would place it under political oversight.
Trump has expressed his fury against Harvard — which has so far produced 162 162 Nobel prize winners — as it outrightly dismissed his request to allow checks on how the university handles admissions, hiring, and political views.“And if Harvard cannot verify it is in full compliance with its reporting requirements, the university will lose the privilege of enrolling foreign students,” a statement from the Department of Homeland Security read.
Harvard has stood out from other universities by refusing to adhere to Trump’s push for strict government control, while several other universities have given in to heavy pressure from the White House.“Harvard can no longer be considered even a decent place of learning, and should not be considered on any list of the World’s Great Universities or Colleges. Harvard is a JOKE, teaches Hate and Stupidity, and should no longer receive Federal Funds,” Trump said on Wednesday on Truth Social.
On Tuesday (April 15), he threatened to take away the university’s tax-free status as a nonprofit school, after already blocking $2.2 billion in federal funding. He’s demanding that the university change how it operates — including how it admits students and hires staff — and agree to government “audits” of its academic programs and departments.
In the Truth Social post, Trump said that Harvard has “lost its way” and has been hiring “woke, Radical Left, idiots and birdbrains” who are capable of only teaching failure to students.
“Look just to the recent past at their plagiarizing President, who so greatly embarrassed Harvard before the United States Congress. When it got so bad that they just couldn’t take it anymore, they moved this grossly inept woman into another position, teaching, rather than firing her ON THE SPOT. Since then much else has been found out about her, but she remains in place,” Trump wrote.
