US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that his administration had struck a deal with Harvard University after what he described as months of negotiations. “I guess we reached a deal with Harvard today, so we’ll see how that, all you have to do is paper it right, Linda,” Trump said, addressing education secretary Linda McMahon during an unrelated executive orders signing ceremony in the Oval Office. Outlining the agreement, Trump said Harvard would pay about $500 million and begin operating trade schools focused on emerging skills. “They’ll be paying about $500 million and they’ll be operating trade schools. They’re going to be teaching people how to do, AI, and lots of other things,” he added. However, the exact terms of the deal remain unclear. Neither the White House nor Harvard University immediately released further details of the arrangement or clarified what the trade school programs would entail.
Trump administration vs Harvard
The standoff between the Trump administration and Harvard University has escalated since May, when the Health and Human Services (HHS) department froze or cut off significant research funding. In late August, a federal judge ordered $2.7 billion in grants reinstated, ruling that the government had overstepped its authority. The administration’s move to refer Harvard to the debarment process could bypass that court order by blocking the university from accessing new federal funds entirely. Such a step would also disrupt ongoing research in science, medicine, and defence. HHS had sent its investigation to the Department of Justice in July, opening the door for potential legal action. Harvard has denied the allegations, with officials claiming that the government is using accusations of antisemitism as a pretext to tighten federal control over the university’s internal affairs.
