Trump calls Harvard a ‘disgrace’ as campus protests erupt over crackdown on universities

Trump criticizes universities, protests erupt at Berkeley, tax status questioned.

Hundreds of students, faculty, and community members rallied on the University of California, Berkeley campus on Thursday to protest what they view as escalating attacks on higher education by President Donald Trump—who earlier in the day called Harvard University “a disgrace.”

The protest was part of a nationwide wave of demonstrations under the banner “Rally for the Right to Learn!” sparked by Trump’s threats to revoke the tax-exempt status of universities like Harvard, amid mounting tensions over campus protests, academic freedom, and federal funding.

The Trump administration has rebuked elite American universities over their handling of pro-Palestinian student demonstrations following the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel and Israel’s military response in Gaza. Trump has labelled these protests antisemitic and un-American, accusing institutions of spreading “radical left” ideology and Marxism. He called Harvard, an institution he criticized repeatedly this week, "a disgrace," and also criticized others.

On Thursday, Trump suggested several top schools could lose their tax-exempt status. “I’m not involved in it,” he said of reports that the IRS is reviewing Harvard’s status. “But tax-exempt status, I mean, it's a privilege. It's really a privilege, and it's been abused by a lot more than Harvard.”

He added: “When you take a look whether it's Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, I don't know what's going on, but when you see how badly they've acted... We’ll be looking at it very strongly.”

Earlier this week, Trump posted on social media that he was considering removing Harvard’s tax benefits due to its promotion of what he called “political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness.’”

At Berkeley, demonstrators carried signs reading “Education is a public good!” and “Hands off our free speech!” Robert Reich, a professor of public policy, applauded Harvard President Alan Garber’s decision to resist pressure from the administration. “Columbia University tried to appease a tyrant. It didn’t work," Reich said. “After Harvard stood up to the tyrant, Columbia, who had been surrendering, stood up and said no.”

In a letter on Monday, Garber had rejected the government’s demands, including calls to dismantle diversity initiatives and submit academic departments to external oversight, calling them “assertions of power, unmoored from the law” that violated constitutional rights and the Civil Rights Act.

Columbia, which initially agreed to negotiations after losing $400 million in federal grants, later aligned itself with Harvard’s position. Interim President Claire Shipman stated the university would not accept “any agreement in which the government dictates what we teach, research, or who we hire.”

In response to Harvard’s defiance, the Trump administration froze $2.3 billion in funding and cancelled over $2.7 million in Homeland Security grants. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem also warned that Harvard could lose the ability to host foreign students unless it disclosed information on certain visa holders.

Harvard reaffirmed its refusal to “surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” but said it would comply with legal requirements.

CNN reported the IRS is moving toward rescinding Harvard’s tax-exempt status, though a final decision is still pending. The university warned such a move would undermine student financial aid and force cutbacks to vital medical research.

The White House has said any IRS action is independent of the president. “Any forthcoming actions by the IRS are conducted independently of the President,” said spokesperson Harrison Fields, adding that investigations into tax violations began before Trump’s public remarks.

Federal law prohibits presidents from directing IRS investigations into specific organisations. Nonetheless, Trump’s rhetoric has stoked fears of political overreach.

With over 150 lawsuits already filed against Trump’s efforts to reshape federal policy, universities are becoming the latest flashpoint in his wider campaign to control the ideological direction of public institutions, sparking pushback from campuses determined to defend academic freedom.