Trump wants 'nothing less' than $500 million from Harvard

Janet Lorin, Bloomberg News on Aug 26, 2025

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President Donald Trump said he wants “nothing less than $500 million” from Harvard University after months of attacking the oldest and richest U.S. college.

Trump underlined his financial goal in comments to Education Secretary Linda McMahon at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, days before classes start at Harvard and many other universities across the U.S. The Trump administration has been holding talks with Harvard on a potential deal to restore federal research funding after the government froze more than $2.6 billion.

In a series of attacks that began shortly after Trump took office in January, the White House has faulted Harvard for failing to do enough to combat antisemitism on campus, while also accusing it of supporting diversity programs and harboring a left-leaning political bias. In addition to the funding halt, the administration has tried to stop foreign students from enrolling at the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based school.

Harvard, which has an endowment of $53 billion, has fought back by twice suing the government and warning that Trump’s assault is endangering free speech. The school didn’t have an immediate response to Trump’s comment about the cost of a potential settlement.