Harvard defies Trump administration. Harvard University has announced it will not comply with a sweeping list of demands from the Trump administration, even as the White House reviews $9 billion in federal funding to the Ivy League institution. The administration’s orders include dismantling all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, implementing viewpoint diversity audits, and reforming admissions to eliminate race-based preferences.
In a statement issued Monday morning, Harvard President Alan M. Garber said the school will not adhere to the administration’s conditions, calling the effort “direct governmental regulation of the intellectual conditions at Harvard.” Garber accused the Trump administration of using antisemitism as a pretext for broader ideological control of the university’s academic structure.
The administration’s directives include requiring Harvard to:
- Eliminate all DEI programs.
- Report foreign students to the Department of Homeland Security for conduct violations tied to anti-Semitism or pro-terrorism sentiment.
- Ensure viewpoint diversity audits across all departments.
- Hire an external auditor to examine programs allegedly promoting antisemitic harassment or ideological bias.
- Implement merit-based admissions and end all preferences based on race, national origin, or similar proxies.
Garber emphasized that Harvard would continue to foster diversity “consistent with law” and said the school would follow the Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which banned race-based admissions. However, the university rejected what it described as politically motivated demands that exceed legal standards.
Despite legal rulings, some universities—including Harvard—are reportedly exploring ways to maintain race-conscious admissions through indirect methods such as personal essays, a strategy critics say undermines the court’s decision.
Two Harvard attorneys wrote to federal officials affirming the university “will not accept the government’s terms as an agreement in principle.”
The Trump administration has not ruled out taking further steps, including suspending funding or initiating legal proceedings, should Harvard remain noncompliant. With billions at stake, the standoff underscores a growing national battle over the role of ideology, free speech, and taxpayer dollars in America’s elite academic institutions.
