US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that his administration is seeking $1 billion in damages from Harvard University, following reports that the college had secured concessions in ongoing settlement negotiations.
“We are now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Trump officials have accused Harvard and other universities of promoting so-called “woke” ideology while failing to adequately protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests. Legal complaints were filed, demanding large settlements, a move critics have described as a pressure campaign against liberal institutions.
Columbia University, another Ivy League institution, previously agreed to pay $200 million to the Trump administration and pledged to comply with rules barring race-based considerations in admissions and hiring.
The New York Times reported earlier on Monday that Trump had dropped demands for a $200 million settlement from Harvard after lengthy talks.
Last September, Trump had indicated that negotiations were close to a $500 million settlement, which included a proposed plan for the university to establish trade schools.
“They wanted to do a convoluted job training concept, but it was turned down as wholly inadequate and, in our opinion, would not have been successful,” Trump wrote in his post late Monday.
“It was merely a way for Harvard to avoid a large cash settlement of more than 500 Million Dollars, a number that should be much higher for the serious and heinous illegalities they have committed,” he added, without specifying which laws Harvard allegedly violated.
The University of Pennsylvania, another Ivy League school, also complied with administration concerns last year, announcing it would ban transgender women from participating in women’s sports.