‘They Pay NOTHING’: Trump slams Harvard’s foreign student numbers, demands disclosure

A US court has temporarily blocked the administration’s move, granting Harvard a reprieve.

In a fiery tirade on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump defended his administration’s move to block international students at Harvard University, a move that was halted by a federal judge on May 23.

“Why isn’t Harvard saying that almost 31% of their students are from foreign lands, and yet those countries… pay NOTHING toward their student’s education?” Trump posted, accusing the Ivy League institution of stonewalling government requests for information about foreign nationals enrolled there. “We want those names and countries,” he declared, adding that Harvard should use its $52 billion endowment instead of seeking federal support.

Trump also questioned the allegiance of some of the students’ countries of origin, saying, “Some [are] not at all friendly to the United States.”

The remarks follow a dramatic legal standoff between the administration and Harvard, after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revoked the university’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), effectively halting the enrolment of international students.

Harvard struck back with a legal complaint filed in Boston federal court, calling the revocation a “blatant violation” of the US Constitution and federal law. The university warned of an “immediate and devastating effect” on its academic community and more than 7,000 visa holders.

“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body,” the complaint read. “International students contribute significantly to the university and its mission.”

A US court has temporarily blocked the administration’s move, granting Harvard a reprieve.