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Donald Trump has hinted his administration may be close to agreeing a deal with Harvard, suggesting his recent attacks on the elite university are coming to an end.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday, the US president said: “We have been working closely with Harvard, and it is very possible that a Deal will be announced over the next week or so.”
Trump and other White House officials have demanded wide-ranging reforms at Harvard, accusing it of failing to act robustly against antisemitism and of not providing the government with information on students who were allegedly breaking the law.
Harvard rejected the claims, accusing the administration of attacking academic freedom and free speech. The university sued the government, and in response the White House hit back with measures including cancelling billions of dollars in government funding, threatening to withdraw Harvard’s tax exempt status and blocking it from accepting international students.
Thousands of foreign students study in the US each year, including about 7,000 at Harvard, and the attempt to block them has sparked widespread concern across the university sector.
Harvard scored a temporary victory against the measures on Friday when a federal court upheld its right to host international students while a court case challenging the government’s action was being decided.
Despite retaliating against the White House’s pressure, which has mobilised substantial support and donations from its alumni, Harvard has made a number of recent changes to its governance, including removing some senior academics and unveiling moves to tackle antisemitism on campus, which it acknowledged was a problem.
In his latest post, Trump said Harvard had “acted extremely appropriately during these negotiations, and appear to be committed to doing what is right”.
He added: “If a Settlement is made on the basis that is currently being discussed, it will be ‘mindbogglingly’ HISTORIC, and very good for our Country.”
Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
