President Donald J. Trump announced late Monday that he is seeking $1 billion from Harvard University to settle ongoing federal investigations into what he described as the school’s “serious and heinous illegalities” and pervasive antisemitism. Trump accused the Ivy League institution of misleading The New York Times about the matter and warned that the case should be treated as criminal rather than civil.
In a series of Truth Social posts, Trump sharply criticized Harvard and its president, Dr. Alan Garber. “Strongly Antisemitic Harvard University has been feeding a lot of ‘nonsense’ to The Failing New York Times,” Trump wrote. “We are now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University.” He claimed the university pushed back against an earlier $500 million settlement demand by supplying false or misleading information to the Times.
Trump also took aim at Garber’s leadership, arguing that he failed to meaningfully address the allegations facing the university. “Dr. Alan Garber, the President of Harvard, has done a terrible job of rectifying a very bad situation for his institution and, more importantly, America, itself,” Trump said, while questioning why Garber was hired after antisemitism complaints had already surfaced. He further criticized The New York Times for not correcting what he characterized as inaccurate reporting related to Harvard’s alleged corruption and antisemitism.
Trump suggested the situation warrants criminal consequences. “This should be a Criminal, not Civil, event, and Harvard will have to live with the consequences of their wrongdoings,” he wrote, while also threatening additional action against the university’s research funding if it does not comply.
The Trump administration has previously moved to cut or freeze federal funding for multiple colleges accused of failing to protect students from antisemitism, though some of those actions extended beyond the issue itself. Several institutions, including Columbia and Brown, ultimately reached agreements with the White House involving fines and policy changes. Harvard, however, has refused to settle, and a federal judge later restored funding that the administration had sought to freeze.
The $1 billion demand marks a significant escalation in the ongoing standoff between the Trump administration and Harvard University, signaling that Trump has no intention of backing down from his effort to confront campus antisemitism and impose greater accountability on institutions that receive taxpayer funding.
