Trump Targets Harvard’s Tax-Exempt Status Over Antisemitism Claims

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — President Donald Trump announced on Friday, May 2, that his administration plans to revoke Harvard University‘s tax-exempt status, following claims that the institution failed to adequately address antisemitism on its campus.

Trump took to Truth Social to state, “We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!” This announcement escalates previous threats made by the administration regarding the Ivy League school.

Last month, the Trump administration sent a letter to Harvard President Dr. Alan Garber and Harvard Corporation Lead Member Penny Pritzker. The letter outlined the university’s alleged failures to uphold civil rights laws and foster a creative intellectual environment. The administration demanded changes to Harvard’s hiring and admissions practices by August 2025.

In a recent communication, Trump remarked that Harvard has “lost its way” and suggested that the school is not deserving of federal funding, citing its hiring practices that he described as “woke, Radical Left, idiots.” He criticized the university’s leadership and termed the institution a “JOKE” that promotes “hate and stupidity.”

Harvard University responded to the administration’s threats, with Garber asserting that “no government should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”

The Trump administration has previously frozen $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard due to these disputes. A further billion-dollar cut is also under consideration, according to reports from The Wall Street Journal.

In response to the funding freeze, Harvard filed a legal challenge against the administration, arguing that the action was “unlawful.”

As tensions rise, the situation reflects a broader crackdown on educational institutions accused of harboring antisemitic sentiments, especially in light of last year’s anti-Israel protests at campuses across the country.