Trump Files $1 Billion Lawsuit Against Harvard Amid Ongoing Tensions

Tue Feb 03 2026 21:32:16 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Former US President Donald Trump has announced intentions to seek $1 billion in damages from Harvard University, escalating his administration's long-standing conflict with the institution over allegations of bias and censorship.

In a recent development, Donald Trump has declared plans to sue Harvard University for $1 billion. This action stems from ongoing tensions between his administration and the university regarding accusations of insufficient handling of antisemitism during protests. The move follows previous contentious negotiations around federal funding and Trump's past threats against Harvard's operational status. Harvard has rejected the allegations made by Trump's officials.

Trump Files $1 Billion Lawsuit Against Harvard Amid Ongoing Tensions

Getty Images A students walks past a display on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Former US President Donald Trump has announced he will be seeking $1 billion (£730m) in damages from Harvard University in his administration's ongoing feud with the institution.

This announcement follows a report by the New York Times suggesting that the Trump administration had to backtrack from an earlier demand of $200m in negotiations with the university.

Trump criticized Harvard in a Truth Social post, accusing the institution of "feeding a lot of nonsense" to the New York Times.

Officials from the Trump administration have accused Harvard of failing to adequately address antisemitism during pro-Palestinian protests, a claim that Harvard has firmly denied.

The university has been a focal point in the White House's campaign against what it perceives as 'woke' ideologies prevalent in American higher education.

In April last year, Trump halted approximately $2 billion in federal research grants to Harvard and suspended federal funding, an action that prompted a lawsuit from the university arguing that no government entity should dictate university policies on education and inquiry.

A federal court later ruled that the Trump administration's actions infringed upon the university’s free speech rights, overturning the funding cuts. The White House has stated its intention to challenge this ruling, reiterating that Harvard remains considered ineligible for future grants.

Before this latest legal action, the Trump administration was in discussions with Harvard regarding a potential agreement to restore federal funding, but this appears to have fallen through. Trump remarked on his pursuit of damages, stating, We are now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University, without specifying the nature of the illegalities he attributes to the institution.

Previously, Trump has also threatened to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status and take control of the university's patents related to federally funded research.

Interestingly, three other Ivy League universities — Columbia, Penn, and Brown — managed to reach agreements with Trump's administration to secure their funding in light of similar claims, thereby avoiding litigation.