Trump Seeks $1 Billion From Harvard as Talks to Resolve Federal Probes Drag On

By Emmanuel Bobby

President Donald Trump said late Monday that his administration is seeking $1 billion from Harvard University to settle multiple federal investigations into the school, signaling that months of negotiations have yet to produce a final agreement.

The administration has threatened to cut off federal funding to Harvard and other universities over issues that include pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s war in Gaza, campus diversity initiatives and transgender-related policies. Trump has repeatedly accused universities of tolerating antisemitism during the protests.

“We are now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, offering no details on how the figure was calculated or what specific damages the administration is claiming.

Trump’s remarks followed a New York Times report, citing unnamed sources, that said the administration had dropped its demand for a cash payment from Harvard during negotiations. Trump rejected that account.

Administration officials and Harvard have been in talks for months. Trump said in September that a deal was close and would include a $500 million payment by the university.

Harvard, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The government has already reached settlements with several universities. Harvard, however, sued the Trump administration last year, and a federal judge later ruled that the government had unlawfully terminated some of the school’s grants.

Protesters — including some Jewish organizations — have argued that the administration is wrongly conflating criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories with antisemitism, and equating support for Palestinian rights with extremism.

Civil rights and academic freedom advocates have also warned that the investigations threaten free speech and university independence.

Other Ivy League schools, including Columbia University and Brown University, have struck agreements with the administration and accepted certain demands. Columbia agreed to pay more than $220 million to the federal government, while Brown said it would contribute $50 million toward local workforce development programs.