‘Not behaving well’ – Trump threatens to cut all federal grants to Harvard

After Harvard sues the Trump administration over the partial freezing of federal funding, President Donald Trump hints the Ivy League school could face a complete loss of all federal grants.

By World Israel News Staff

Harvard University could face a total cessation of federal grants over its ongoing row with the Trump administration and amid its refusal to accept directives from a federal antisemitism taskforce, President Donald Trump hinted on Wednesday.

Speaking at a gathering in Washington Wednesday, Trump responded to Harvard’s federal lawsuit aimed at reversing the administration’s decision to suspend billions in grants and federal contracts, as well as the school’s decision not to accept government recommendations to combat campus antisemitism and alleged civil rights violations.

Referring to efforts by Education Secretary Linda McMahon to pressure Harvard to comply with administration directives, Trump said the college was “not behaving well,” and suggested it would lose all remaining federal funding.

“She’s very upset with Harvard. They have $53 billion in a fund, and yet they want more grants. And it looks like we are not going to be giving them any more grants, right Linda? A grant is at our discretion and they are really not behaving well. So it’s too bad.”

The federal antisemitism taskforce  last month called on Harvard to dismantle all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, as well as to handover information to law enforcement agencies regarding student involvement in unauthorized anti-Israel protests or illegal activities.

The taskforce has also demanded Harvard change it hiring and admissions policies, to remove race and ethnicity as a factor in selecting students and staff, and to ban face masks on campus, noting their use by protesters to escape identification during unauthorized demonstrations.

In April, the administration announced it was freezing $2.3 billion in federal funding for Harvard, most of it coming from grant money, and threatened additional cuts should the school not comply with the antisemitism taskforce’s instructions.

The university responded with a federal lawsuit claiming that the administration is violating the school’s freedom of speech by denying it federal funds.