By Rishabh Jaiswal, Shivani Tanna and Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said late on Monday his administration is pursuing $1 billion from Harvard to settle federal probes into the university over school policies, with the two sides yet to reach a final deal despite months of talks.
The Trump administration has been threatening to withhold federal funds from Harvard and several other universities over issues including pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s war in Gaza, campus diversity and transgender policies.
Trump has said Harvard and other universities allowed displays of antisemitism during pro-Palestinian protests.
“We are now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, without specifying how he arrived at that figure or what damages exactly he was referring to.
Trump’s post came in response to a New York Times report, citing sources, saying the Trump administration has dropped its demand for cash from Harvard in ongoing talks to strike a deal. Trump dismissed the report.
Trump officials and Harvard have engaged in months of talks. Trump said in September a deal was close and would involve a $500 million payment by Harvard.
Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Harvard did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The government has settled its probes with some universities. Harvard sued the Trump administration last year and a judge later ruled the government had unlawfully terminated some grants for the university.
Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the government wrongly equates criticism of Israel’s assault on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories with antisemitism, and advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism.
Rights advocates have also raised free speech and academic freedom concerns over Trump’s probes.
Several other Ivy League schools, including Columbia University and Brown University, have reached agreements with the administration and accepted certain government demands. Columbia agreed to pay more than $220 million to the government and Brown said it will pay $50 million to support local workforce development.
(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal and Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru and Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Christian Schmollinger, Stephen Coates and Susan Fenton)
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