Trump announces he will revoke Harvard University's tax-exempt status

On Friday, President Donald Trump announced that his administration will seek to revoke the tax-exempt status of Harvard University, further escalating the ongoing dispute with the prestigious Ivy League institution.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared, "We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!"

Harvard, like many universities, churches and charities, operates under the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 501(c)(3) designation, which exempts these organizations from paying federal income taxes and allows donations to be tax-deductible.

A Harvard spokesman responded forcefully, stating that there is "no legal basis" for revoking the university's tax exemption. "Such an unprecedented action would endanger our ability to carry out our educational mission. It would result in diminished financial aid for students, abandonment of critical medical research programs, and lost opportunities for innovation," the spokesperson stated, according to a report by CBS News.

He further warned that wider use of this measure would have "grave consequences for the future of higher education in America."  

This is not the Trump administration's first action against Harvard. Last month, a freeze of $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts earmarked for the university was announced in response to Harvard's refusal to comply with a series of demands.

For its part, the Department of Homeland Security, led by Secretary Kristi Noem, demanded information about certain international students on visas, threatening to revoke the university's certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. Noem singled out the university for creating a "hostile learning environment for Jewish students due to Harvard's failure to condemn antisemitism," according to a letter sent to the institution.