Democrats have called for an investigation into whether the US president is pressuring the IRS to strip Harvard’s status.United States President Donald Trump has renewed his threat to strip Harvard University of its tax exempt status, a move that could cost the Ivy League institution billions of dollars if implemented.
“We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!” Trump wrote on Friday, in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
The statement is the latest threat in a continuing feud between the Republican president and Harvard, the country’s oldest higher-education institution.
Since taking office for a second term on January 20, Trump has sought to increase his control over US universities and crack down on what he considers “illegal protests” on campus.
But Harvard has been a focal point for his public ire, particularly after school leaders refused a list of demands the Trump administration sent on April 11.
In a five-page letter (PDF), Trump officials called on Harvard to reform its student disciplinary system, investigate protesters involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, commission an external audit of programmes deemed anti-Semitic and eliminate its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes. Advertisement
The letter also required Harvard to commit to “viewpoint diversity” in its hiring and admissions practices, something it was expected to accomplish through “structural and personnel changes”. Critics said this mandate was tantamount to Trump attempting to impose a political litmus test on the school.
By April 14, Harvard’s President Alan Garber had rejected the letter. In a statement published to Harvard’s website, he explained that Trump’s demands infringed upon Harvard’s academic freedom, among other rights.
“The University will not surrender its independence or re …