Trump signals broader crackdown on universities, targets Harvard's activism: 'Harvard will have to change its ways'

Trump said Harvard will have to mend its ways if it wants to continue enrolling foreign students. When asked if the Trump administration would stop other universities from enrolling foreign students, Trump said they would have to consider that option.

"We will take a look at it. Billions of dollars have been paid to Harvard...they have $52 billion as endowment. This country is paying billions and billions of dollars, and then gives student loans...Harvard will have to change its ways...so will some other" Trump says.

The Trump administration has started cracking down on Harvard University after it refused to curb student activism. It led to a confrontation between the two parties, which led to the White House freezing off the massive $2.6 billion in federal funding.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced that Harvard had failed to produce the records of students who had been involved in activism on campus, any disciplinary action, as well as any audio and video footage of them being involved in protest activities.

Harvard says it complied with the records request. It filed a suit in the Federal Court against the Government exercising its First Amendment rights and rejected the government's demand to control Harvard's governance, curriculum and the ideology of the students and the faculty.

US District Judge Allison Burroughs granted a temporary restraining order, stopping the Department of Homeland Security’s directive that was set to take effect from the 2025-2026 academic year.

The President and his administration do appear in a vengeful mood. The Chief White House correspondent of The New York Times, Peter Baker, posted the names of people charged, or investigated or threatened to be investigated by Trump or his administration in recent days.

The Department of Health and Human Services accused Columbia University of violating Federal Civil rights law by acting in ‘deliberate indifference’ towards Jewish students by harassing them on campus while protesting against Israel's attack on Gaza, since October 7, 2023. Tom Malinowski, a Former US Representative of New Jersey, said to the CNN network, “A couple of years ago, Vance gave a speech.. The title was Universities Are the Enemy. He said explicitly, because they teach ideas we disagree with. He said explicitly, we cannot achieve anything in this country as a conservative movement unless we aggressively go after the universities. That's what they're doing right now.” The Trump administration wants to take the battle to academia, because that is the home of liberal ideologies.