US President Donald Trump has announced that his administration is seeking $1 billion in damages from Harvard University.
According to the World News Agency, President Trump’s demand came in the wake of federal investigations that revealed the university’s policies and campus environment to be anti-Semitic.
US President Trump, making a statement on his social media platform Truth Social, said that we are now demanding $1 billion in damages and that we will have no further association with Harvard University in the future.
He did not clarify on what basis this amount was determined or what specific damages are being sought.
Harvard University did not immediately respond to President Trump’s new demand.
Background: Campus protests and pressure from the Trump administration
For several months, Donald Trump’s administration has been warning several American universities, including Harvard, that federal funding could be withheld if they do not review alleged anti-Semitic activities on campus, pro-Palestinian demonstrations, diversity programs, and transgender policies.
The administration argues that anti-Semitic slogans and behavior were tolerated at times during pro-Palestinian protests during the Gaza war, creating a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students.
Talks have been ongoing between Trump officials and Harvard University’s administration for several months.
President Trump said in September that a settlement was near that could include a payment of $500 million from Harvard.
Harvard also filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration last year, in which a judge ruled that the government had illegally terminated some of the university’s grants.
According to reports, some other universities have reached agreements with the government, including Columbia University, which agreed to pay more than $220 million.
Similarly, Brown University has announced a $50 million grant for local workforce development.
On the other hand, protesters and some Jewish groups also say that it is not correct to call criticism of Israeli policies or support for the basic rights of Palestinians anti-Semitism.
Meanwhile, according to an internal report and a government investigation, Jewish and Israeli students on the Harvard campus faced severe social and academic pressure and the university administration failed to effectively deal with the situation.
Human rights groups have also expressed concerns about freedom of expression and academic autonomy over the Trump administration’s investigation.