Amid the Trump administration's continued pressure on universities, Harvard University has emerged as the first to openly resist. On April 11, the Trump administration issued multiple demands for reform to Harvard, including curbing so-called "antisemitism" and terminating several Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. On April 14, Harvard publicly refused to comply with these policy demands, becoming the first university to directly reject the administration's directives.
According to a report by Reuters via Global Times, the Trump administration froze US$2.26 billion in federal funding to Harvard. The government has not disclosed which grants and contracts were suspended, and Harvard has similarly declined to comment.
Several of Harvard's peer institutions have expressed solidarity with its stance.
Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber wrote on social media: "Princeton stands with Harvard." Stanford University President Jonathan D. Levin and Provost Jenny S. Martinez also praised Harvard for rejecting the White House's demands and committing itself to academic freedom. They said, "Harvard's objections to the letter it received are rooted in the American tradition of liberty, a tradition essential to our country's universities, and worth defending."
On April 15, Trump posted on social media, stating that he was considering whether to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated that Harvard had violated anti-discrimination provisions in the Civil Rights Act and said Trump expects Harvard to apologize for "antisemitism directed against Jewish-American students on campus."
Under US law, most universities and nonprofit organizations are exempt from federal income tax because their operations are primarily for charitable, scientific, or educational purposes. However, if it operates beyond its stated purpose, its exemption from federal income tax may be revoked. According to the BBC, the loss of tax-exempt status could result in millions of dollars in annual losses for Harvard.
On April 14, Reuters reported that several universities, including Princeton and the University of Illinois, filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Energy, alleging drastic cuts in funding for research in fields such as advanced nuclear technology, cybersecurity, and new radioactive drugs.
According to AP, the Trump administration has frozen federal funding for seven leading US universities. Before Harvard, Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, Brown University, Princeton University, Cornell University, and Northwestern University had all faced similar penalties. All but Northwestern are private Ivy League institutions.
The AP interpreted the Trump administration's actions as normalizing the use of "extreme measures," such as withholding federal funding, to pressure major academic institutions to align with Trump's political agenda and influence university policies.
(Source: Global Times, Reuters, AP)
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