U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that his administration is seeking $1 billion in damages from Harvard University, following reports that the institution had secured concessions in ongoing settlement talks with the federal government.
“We are now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Trump administration officials have accused Harvard and other U.S. colleges of promoting what they describe as “woke” ideology and failing to adequately protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests. The administration has filed legal complaints against several institutions and demanded large financial settlements.
Critics, however, have described the moves as a pressure campaign targeting liberal universities.
Last summer, fellow Ivy League institution Columbia University agreed to pay $200 million to the Trump administration and pledged to comply with rules barring the consideration of race in admissions or hiring decisions.
Earlier on Monday, The New York Times reported that the Trump administration had dropped its demand for a $200 million settlement from Harvard after prolonged negotiations.
Trump had told reporters in September that talks were nearing a $500 million settlement, which would have included the creation of trade schools as part of the agreement.
“They wanted to do a convoluted job training concept, but it was turned down in that it was wholly inadequate and would not have been, in our opinion, successful,” Trump said in his late-night post on Monday.
He added that the proposal was “merely a way of Harvard getting out of a large cash settlement of more than 500 million dollars,” arguing that the amount should be higher due to what he described as “serious and heinous illegalities,” without specifying the alleged violations.
Another Ivy League school, the University of Pennsylvania, also yielded to Trump administration pressure last year, announcing a ban on transgender women participating in women’s sports.
AFP