President Trump vows to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status, amid tensions over campus politics, federal funding, and free speech.
US President Donald Trump on Friday renewed his call to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status, amid tensions with the Ivy League institution over its policies, federal funding, and campus speech, CNN reported.
“We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Trump first introduced the idea on April 15, and sources indicate the Internal Revenue Service has since begun examining mechanisms to pursue the unprecedented action.
Harvard University responded forcefully to the renewed threat. “There is no legal basis to rescind Harvard’s tax-exempt status,” a university spokesperson told CNN. “Such an unprecedented action would endanger our ability to carry out our educational mission.”
The spokesperson added that a financial burden could jeopardize student aid, vital medical research, and academic innovation.
Under federal law, a president cannot unilaterally order the IRS to investigate or penalize a specific entity. If the agency were to find grounds for revoking Harvard’s tax exemption, it would be required to formally notify the university and provide an opportunity to contest the action.
The IRS did not respond to questions regarding the feasibility of Trump’s demand.
The threat comes amid continued tensions between the Trump administration and Harvard over the university’s handling of anti-Israel protests on its campus.
The federal government announced recently that it would freeze $2.2 billion in funding to Harvard due to its failure to fight campus antisemitism.
That move came after Harvard President Alan Garber stated that Harvard would not comply with the administration’s directives.
Subsequent reports indicated that the Trump administration is preparing to freeze another billion dollars in federal funding for Harvard University because the administration was angered by Harvard’s decision to publish a letter listing the government’s demands, as the contents of the letter were supposed to be kept private.
Harvard then filed a lawsuit in response to the administration’s funding freeze.
Earlier this week, Trump indicated that his administration may stop awarding federal grants to Harvard.
“And it looks like we are not going to be giving them any more grants, right Linda?” Trump remarked, according to Reuters, directing his comment to Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
He added, “A grant is at our discretion and they are really not behaving well. So it’s too bad.”
On Tuesday, Harvard published two internal reviews detailing incidents of discrimination against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab students during last year’s protests. The reports found that some students feared marginalization for expressing political views.
