US President Donald Trump announced Monday that his administration will pursue $1 billion in damages from Harvard University, following reports that the college had secured concessions in ongoing settlement talks.
“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. The administration has filed legal complaints and demanded substantial payouts, a move critics describe as a pressure campaign on liberal institutions.
Columbia University, another Ivy League school, agreed last summer to pay $200 million and pledged to comply with rules prohibiting the consideration of race in admissions or hiring.
The New York Times reported Monday that Trump had dropped his administration’s earlier demand for a $200 million settlement from Harvard after protracted negotiations.
Trump told reporters last September that talks had approached a potential $500 million settlement with Harvard, which would have included the establishment of trade schools. “They wanted to do a convoluted job training concept, but it was turned down as wholly inadequate and would not have been successful,” he said in a Truth Social post late Monday.
He added, “It was merely a way of Harvard getting out of a large cash settlement of more than 500 Million Dollars, a number that should be much higher for the serious and heinous illegalities that they have committed,” without specifying which laws Harvard allegedly violated.
The University of Pennsylvania also responded to administration concerns last year by banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports.
AFP
