The Trump administration is nearing a deal with Harvard University worth $500 million, where the prestigious institution would operate trade schools, teaching skills like AI and other technical areas.
According to President Donald Trump, “They’ll be paying about $500 million and they’ll be operating trade schools. They’re going to be teaching people how to do AI and lots of other things, engines, lots of things.” This development marks the latest twist in Trump’s unprecedented crackdown on Harvard over claims of anti-Semitism and bias.
Harvard University has denied these allegations, saying the federal government is focused on controlling its hiring, admissions, and curriculum. Trump stated, “We are in the process of getting very close… It’s a big investment in trade school done by very smart people, and then their sins are forgiven.” The exact terms of the deal remain unclear, with neither the White House nor Harvard University releasing further details.
The standoff between the Trump administration and Harvard University has been escalating since May, when the Health and Human Services department froze or cut off significant research funding. A federal judge later ordered the administration to lift its freeze on approximately $2.6 billion in federal funds for Harvard, writing that Trump’s Department of Education “used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically motivated assault on this country’s premier universities.”
Other Ivy League schools have taken less confrontational approaches with the president’s team. Columbia University agreed to pay $200 million to the administration and pledged to obey rules barring consideration of race in admissions or hiring. Brown University reached a deal to pay $50 million to support local workforce development.
The Trump administration has accused Harvard and other schools of promoting “woke” ideology while failing to protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests. Harvard President Alan Garber expressed concerns that federal actions could strip the school of nearly $1 billion annually, forcing staff layoffs and hiring freezes.
The deal’s details are still being finalized, with Education Secretary Linda McMahon working on the final touches. Trump mentioned, “I guess we reached a deal with Harvard today, so we’ll see how that, all you have to do is paper it right, Linda.” The agreement would resolve the ongoing disputes between Harvard and the Trump administration.