US President Donald Trump said that his administration is close to reaching a final settlement with Harvard University. Reports say that the Ivy League school will have to pay about $500 million. The settlement is supposed to end a months-long fight over federal financing that was caused by disagreements over campus policy and pro-Palestinian protests.
President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the deal was almost done. “We’re getting extremely close right now. Trump said, “Linda is finishing up the last details.” He was talking about US Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
The Deal’s Terms
Trump explained the conditions of the deal, which go beyond just making a payment:
Payment: Harvard will pay “about $500 million.”
The institution will be “operating trade schools” as part of its new initiatives.
They will be “teaching people how to do AI and a lot of other things, like engines and a lot of other things.”
In the end, Trump said, “Their sins are forgiven,” which was the last thing he said in the announcement.
Harvard University has not yet said anything in response to the President’s statement.
Months of fighting over politics on campus
The Trump administration and Harvard got into a fight because of claims of antisemitism on campus. This happened after big student protests against Israel’s military actions in Gaza after the Hamas onslaught in October 2023.
Bloomberg says, though, that the fight swiftly grew to include a full review of the university’s operations, which included:
Bias in Politics
Connections to China
Not supporting policies that support diversity and transgender people.
The Trump administration did a lot of bad things to Harvard. They had already tried to stop more than $2 billion in research grants, jeopardized the university’s accreditation status, and tried to keep international students from going to school there. Alan Garber, the president of Harvard, thought that the federal sanctions could cost the institution almost $1 billion a year, which could mean layoffs and hiring freezes for staff.
A Wider University Crackdown
The administration has negotiated a settlement with more than just Harvard. Other notable colleges have also made deals:
In July, Columbia University, which was also accused of not doing enough to fight antisemitism, agreed to pay $220 million to get its federal research money back.
Brown University said it will give $50 million to help train workers in the area.
The government’s overall onslaught on colleges and universities is happening at the same time as a bigger discussion about free expression. Trump and his supporters say that universities condone antisemitism, but many demonstrators, including some Jewish groups, say that the government is incorrect to link criticism of Israel’s attack on Gaza with antisemitism and support for Palestinian rights with support for terrorism. Rights groups have also said that the government’s probes violate free expression, privacy, and academic freedom.