President Trump hinted that a truce is forthcoming in his war against Harvard, teasing a deal within "the next week or so."
The nation's oldest and richest university has spent months resisting Trump's efforts to reshape higher education, but Trump suggested that change is coming.
“Many people have been asking what is going on with Harvard University and their largescale improprieties that we have been addressing, looking for a solution. 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 said in a post on Truth Social.
For months, Trump has been pressuring Harvard to change its policies, citing its response to anti-Semitism on campus and its use of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in admissions and hiring. But Harvard has pushed back in court, decrying the Trump administration's crackdown as an attack on the school's autonomy.
On the same day that Trump hinted at a settlement, a federal judge in Boston blocked Trump indefinitely from revoking Harvard's ability to host international students. Foreign students are an important source of income for many universities, and at Harvard, they account for roughly a quarter of the student population.
"The Court order allows Harvard to continue enrolling international students and scholars while the case moves forward. Harvard will continue to defend its rights—and the rights of its students and scholars," the university said.
The Trump administration has argued that hosting international students is a privilege that Harvard lost by failing to control anti-Semitic unrest.
"It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments. The Trump administration is committed to restoring common sense to our student visa system; no lawsuit, this or any other, is going to change that," Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.
The university's refusal to cooperate with the administration led Trump to yank over $2 billion in research grants, and Trump followed that by revoking Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification.
Trump's moves sparked two lawsuits from Harvard, but the university is apparently moving toward a settlement of some kind with the federal government.
The school has taken some measures to appease Trump, replacing leaders at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and renaming its DEI office.
In his triumphant post, Trump hinted that Harvard is ready to make further concessions.
“They have acted extremely appropriately during these negotiations, and appear to be committed to doing what is right. If a Settlement is made on the basis that is currently being discussed, it will be ‘mindbogglingly’ HISTORIC, and very good for our Country,” he added.
