President Donald Trump said Friday that Harvard University will lose its tax-exempt status, escalating his ongoing battle with the Ivy League school. The move comes as the administration freezes over $2 billion in federal funds tied to Harvard’s resistance to Trump’s directives on DEI and campus protests. “We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!” Trump posted.
Last week, Trump called Harvard a “far left institution” and “a threat to Democracy.” The remarks followed his administration’s broader crackdown on schools accused of promoting political ideology under the guise of education. The Treasury Department reportedly asked the IRS to take action against Harvard last month.
Trump previously warned Harvard on April 15 via Truth Social. “Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’” he wrote. He added that tax-exempt status depends on acting “in the PUBLIC INTEREST.”
The White House said investigations into the university’s tax status began before the president’s post. “Any forthcoming actions by the IRS will be conducted independently of the president,” said spokesman Harrison Fields. “Investigations…were initiated prior to the president’s TRUTH.”
On Thursday night, Trump slammed Harvard again while delivering a commencement speech at the University of Alabama. “The next chapter of the American story will not be written by the Harvard Crimson. It will be written by you, the Crimson Tide,” he said. He added that Harvard’s federal funding “won’t be so forthcoming” anymore.
This week, Harvard rebranded its DEI office. The new name: “Community and Campus Life.” The university says it will now focus on “cross-cultural engagement,” support for first-generation and low-income students, and “dialogue across differences.” The Chief Diversity Officer title was also renamed.
Despite the changes, the Trump administration announced Monday it would investigate Harvard’s treatment of white students and contributors. The probe extends to the student-run Harvard Law Journal. Officials say the move is part of enforcing civil rights protections on campus.
One example cited: a Harvard Law Review editor reportedly raised concerns that four of five students seeking to respond to an article on policing were white men. In another case, an editor allegedly pushed for expedited review of a submission because the author was a minority.
Trump has framed the move as restoring fairness and fighting bias in education. His administration says it will keep investigating institutions that stray from what it calls “the public interest.” For Harvard, the consequences are already hitting hard.
Between frozen funds, public rebukes, and now a tax threat, the Trump-Harvard clash may only be heating up. And for colleges nationwide, the message is clear: political neutrality is no longer optional.