Overview

• Harvard University has refused to comply with the Trump administration's demands to alter admissions, hiring, and curriculum policies, citing constitutional rights and academic freedom.
• The Trump administration has frozen $2.2 billion in federal funding and contracts for Harvard, escalating its campaign against elite universities.
• Harvard President Alan Garber criticized the government's demands, which include ending diversity-based admissions and reporting on international student conduct, as overreach.
• Other universities, such as Columbia, have previously acquiesced to similar demands, but Harvard's resistance is seen as a pivotal moment in this broader ideological conflict.
• Trump has publicly condemned Harvard, threatening additional measures such as revoking its tax-exempt status, while former President Obama has praised Harvard's stance as a model for other institutions.