US President Donald Trump launched a fierce attack on Harvard University in a Truth Social post on Sunday, amid the administration’s legal battle to bar the Ivy League school from enrolling foreign students.
📝 “Nearly 31% from FOREIGN LANDS”
Trump raged:
“Why isn’t Harvard saying that almost 31% of their students are from FOREIGN LANDS, and yet those countries, some not at all friendly to the United States, pay NOTHING toward their student’s education, nor do they ever intend to. Nobody told us that!”
While Harvard publicly lists international enrollment at around 7,000 students (27%), Trump insisted he’d been kept in the dark—a claim met with eye-rolls given the data is “easy to Google.”
💰 Endowment envy and funding demands
Trump further demanded:
“We want to know who those foreign students are… We give Harvard BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, but Harvard isn’t exactly forthcoming… Harvard has $52,000,000, use it, and stop asking for the Federal Government to continue GRANTING money to you!”
He garbled Harvard’s true $52 billion endowment, slashing three zeros—yet the jab struck at the heart of a broader criticism that elite universities are too reliant on federal funding.
🚫 Enrolling freeze amid antisemitism claims
Last Thursday, Homeland Security announced it would bar Harvard from enrolling foreign students, forcing 7,000 visa holders to transfer or leave the US. The department accused Harvard of fostering an “unsafe campus environment for Jewish students” and “coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party.”
🚨 Legal counterpunch
Harvard swiftly filed suit in the Boston federal court, calling the ban “retaliatory” and unconstitutional, warning of “immediate and devastating effect” on its community and research mission. A judge paused the ban on Friday, granting a preliminary stay.
🎯 Why it matters
If enacted, the enrollment freeze threatens Harvard’s core mission and financial model. International tuition premiums help offset domestic financial aid. The spat could reshape federal oversight of universities’ campus policies, diversity programs and foreign partnerships.
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