Donald Trump's latest attack on Harvard University: ‘Should be taxed as…’

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Harvard University that its tax-exempt status can be revoked if it keeps pushing what he called "political, ideological and terrorist-inspired sickness". He said the world-renowned institution should be taxed as a political entity.

"Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting “Sickness?” Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!" he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Trump vs Harvard

The Trump administration has been pressing the university to stem political activism on campus.

On Monday, the government froze $2.2 billion in federal funding to the university after it rejected a list of sweeping demands that the White House said was intended to crack down on campus anti-Semitism.

The Trump administration had ordered the university to change its governance, hiring practices and admissions procedures. It also ordered officials to shut diversity offices and cooperate with immigration authorities for screenings of international students.

In a letter to students and faculty, Harvard president Alan Garber vowed to defy the government, insisting that the school would not “negotiate over its independence or its constitutional rights.”

Trump's Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism responded with a statement announcing the $2.2 billion hold in multi-year grants, plus a freeze on $60 million in government contracts.

Also read: Why has Donald Trump frozen $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard University? Explained

"Harvard's statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation's most prestigious universities and colleges -- that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws," it said.

"The disruption of learning that has plagued campuses in recent years is unacceptable. The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable. It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support," it added.

Several campuses across America witnessed protests against Israel over its war in Gaza. Some of these protests turned violent.

Even as over 50000 people died in the war, the United States remains the closest ally of Israel.

With inputs from AFP