Overview

• President Trump accused Harvard of fostering antisemitism and 'teaching hate and idiocy,' calling for the revocation of its federal tax-exempt status.
• The administration froze $2.2 billion in federal grants, forcing the immediate suspension of NIH-funded research, including critical tuberculosis studies led by Sarah Fortune.
• The Department of Homeland Security warned Harvard it could lose the ability to enroll foreign students unless it complies with federal reporting demands.
• Harvard President Alan Garber firmly rejected federal demands for ideological audits, citing First Amendment protections and institutional independence.
• The confrontation highlights a broader conservative campaign against perceived liberal bias in elite universities, following pro-Palestinian demonstrations in 2024.