Trump says he is seeking $1bn in damages in Harvard dispute

Donald Trump has announced that his administration is seeking $1bn in damages from Harvard University, the latest step in a long-running battle with the university over allegations of antisemitism.

In a Truth Social post late on Monday, Trump accused the Ivy League school of being “strongly antisemitic”, adding that Harvard president Alan Garber “has done a terrible job of rectifying a very bad situation for his institution and, more importantly, America itself”.

Since returning to office, Trump has repeatedly come after higher education institutions, including Harvard, accusing the university of mishandling antisemitism and allowing alleged civil rights violations on a campus he says is dominated by “radical left” ideologies – a charge academics and free speech experts have denounced as a threat to academic freedom.

Speaking to the outlet, both Harvard and Trump officials said the administration had recently indicated it no longer expected the payment.

Citing the New York Times article in his post, Trump accused Harvard of “feeding a lot of ‘nonsense’ to the failing New York Times,” adding that the institution “has been, for a long time, behaving very badly.”

Without disclosing details, Trump said his administration is “now seeking one billion dollars in damages, and want[s] nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University.”

The Guardian has reached out to Harvard and the White House for comment.

Previously, the Trump administration has also threatened to withhold $9bn in federal research funding, demanded that Harvard end its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and required reporting of international students who violate campus rules. It also previously tried to block the university from enrolling international students.

In response, Harvard sued the administration in April last year, accusing it of trying to “gain control of academic decision-making”. At the time, Garber vowed that “the university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.”

Garber also pushed back on Trump’s antisemitism charges, saying in a statement last April: “As a Jew and as an American, I know very well that there are valid concerns about rising antisemitism. To address it effectively requires understanding, intention, and vigilance. Harvard takes that work seriously. We will continue to fight hate with the urgency it demands as we fully comply with our obligations under the law. That is not only our legal responsibility. It is our moral imperative.”

In September, a federal judge ruled that Trump had unlawfully canceled $2.2bn in research grants, barring the administration from cutting Harvard’s research funding. Weeks later, Trump said the administration had reached a deal requiring the university to pay $500m to settle the dispute with the federal government.

Last December, the Trump administration appealed the judge’s September ruling.