United States President Donald Trump on Thursday bashed Harvard as an “anti-Semitic, far left institutionâ€, as the prestigious university battles his administration’s funding freeze in court.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has sought to bring several universities to heel over claims they tolerated anti-Semitism on their campuses, threatening their budgets, tax-exempt status and the enrollment of foreign students.
But Harvard has refused to bow, and on Monday filed suit against the Trump administration.
The lawsuit calls for a funding freeze and conditions imposed on federal grants to be declared unlawful, arguing the measures amount to political interference aimed at compromising the Ivy League institution’s independence.
Trump said on his Truth Social platform that the institution is a liberal catastrophe and that it has accepted students “from all over the world that want to rip our country apart.” His broadside was delivered the day after he signed an executive order that targeted higher education and changed the way federal officials choose which colleges and universities are eligible to receive billions of dollars from student loans and some grants.
Any actions that aim to advance the representation of “racial and ethnic minority individuals” are targeted by the executive order, which Trump describes as “unlawful discrimination.”
Allegations of anti-Semitism
The assault against universities has been openly defended by Trump and his White House staff as a response to what they claim is unchecked “anti-Semitism” and the need to undo diversity initiatives that were intended to redress historical mistreatment of minorities.
According to the administration, anti-Semitism was rampant during demonstrations against Israel’s military incursion in Gaza that swept through US college campuses last year.
In response to the accusations, a number of US universities, including Harvard, clamped down on the demonstrations. According to protest organizers, the Cambridge-based university placed 23 students on probation and denied degrees to 12 others.
According to Harvard President Alan Garber, the Trump administration has opened “numerous investigations” into the school’s activities.
