Washington: The White House stated Tuesday that President Donald Trump wants Harvard University to issue a formal apology amid ongoing tensions between the school and the administration over campus incidents and federal oversight.
Responding to a question about whether Trump is considering revoking Harvard’s tax-exempt status, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “When it comes to Harvard, as I said, the president has been quite clear, they must follow federal law.” She added, “He also wants to see Harvard apologize, and Harvard should apologize for the egregious anti-Semitism that took place on their college campus against Jewish American students.”
The White House said President Trump wants Harvard to apologize for what he calls ‘egregious antisemitism’ on campus, as he considers revoking the university's tax-exempt status https://t.co/jFlAVuw2Yz pic.twitter.com/san8GC3XTe
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 16, 2025
The comments came a day after Harvard publicly rejected several demands from the Trump administration. The university argued that acquiescing to such requests would hand over institutional control to a conservative government seeking to reshape higher education, often portraying universities as ideologically biased toward the left.
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The dispute highlights a growing clash between the Trump camp and elite academic institutions, which the president has frequently accused of harboring anti-American and discriminatory sentiment.
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