Washington, D.C — Former President Donald Trump has escalated his confrontation with Harvard University, announcing on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he is considering reallocating $3 billion in federal research grants previously awarded to the Ivy League school to trade and vocational institutions.
The comments come as part of a broader effort by Trump to assert federal control over higher education institutions he accuses of harboring political bias. “Harvard is filled with Radical Left idiots and bird brains,” Trump posted, adding that the elite university should not be receiving taxpayer dollars while promoting what he calls “anti-American values.”
The $3 billion in question stems largely from grant funding by federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense. These funds typically support scientific and biomedical research conducted by individual faculty and researchers at Harvard and other universities after undergoing a rigorous application and peer-review process. Trade schools generally do not engage in the type of advanced research such grants are designed to support.
In recent weeks, Harvard confirmed it had received a series of letters from federal agencies notifying them that virtually all of its active grant awards were being suspended. Each agency cited a similar rationale: the grants “no longer effectuate agency priorities.”
The university has filed suit against the administration, alleging that the move is an unconstitutional attack on academic freedom and free speech. In a statement filed with the court, Harvard called the suspension of grant funds a politically motivated retaliation campaign, warning it could cripple vital research and damage its global standing.
Meanwhile, the administration’s efforts to block Harvard from enrolling foreign students were halted on Friday when a federal judge issued a temporary injunction. The university argued that the policy—targeting over 7,000 visa holders currently enrolled—was part of an ongoing campaign of harassment. The court agreed that the move raised serious constitutional questions and posed an “immediate and devastating effect” on international students and the university alike.
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Trump’s latest threat marks the most aggressive move yet in a months-long political standoff. He has also proposed ending Harvard’s tax-exempt status, raising taxes on its $50 billion endowment, and launched a civil rights investigation into the university’s hiring practices. The administration claims the school discriminates against white, Asian, male, and straight applicants—an allegation Harvard denies.
The White House has not responded to questions about whether the reallocation of federal research grants to trade schools is legally feasible, nor has it provided a detailed plan for how such a shift would be implemented under current appropriations law.
Harvard has not commented publicly on Trump’s most recent remarks but maintains that all of its admissions and hiring practices are legal and its federal grants are used to conduct world-class scientific research.
This clash between the former president and one of the nation’s most prestigious universities highlights growing political tensions around academic independence, government oversight, and the future of higher education funding in America.
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