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Donald Trump has said he will scrap Harvard University’s tax-exempt status, threatening to deal a significant blow to the university’s finances and signalling another escalation in his attack on elite US institutions.
“We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!” the US president said in a post on Truth Social on Friday morning.
The comments from the president deepen a stand-off between Harvard and the White House, which has also said it will strip more than $2.2bn in federal funding from the university. Harvard responded last month by suing the Trump administration.
Trump has stepped up his attacks on universities and other US institutions that his supporters consider too progressive. Earlier on Friday, Trump said he would also end federal funding for public broadcasters PBS and NPR.
The administration accuses the institutions of bias against Trump and his agenda, while critics of the president have assailed his crackdown as a widening attack on free speech.
Trump had already previously threatened to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status.
Removal of tax-exempt status for Harvard could mean the university is no longer treated as a charity for tax purposes, forcing it to pay federal taxes on its income, among other impacts. Some donors could also lose the tax benefit of giving money to the university.
The White House did not immediately provide any details about Trump’s comments or how and when it would move to end Harvard’s tax exemption.
The president last week accused leading US universities, including Harvard, of violating federal laws on large foreign donations.
Alongside depriving some universities of their tax-exempt status, the government is also considering overhauling the accreditation system that makes universities eligible for federal funding, including student loans.
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