Why is President Trump Feuding with Harvard?

What happened to Harvard University?

In recent days, news coverage about Harvard University has been extensive. This is related to the actions of the administration of President Donald Trump towards the prestigious campus.

President Trump revoked Harvard University's permit to accept foreign students. International students who were already studying there were also asked to transfer. Trump also threatened to take similar actions against other universities.

The decision was announced in Washington DC by US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Thursday (22/5/2025) afternoon local time or Friday (23/5/2025) morning WIB. "Harvard must cancel the foreign student and exchange student programs for the 2025/2026 academic year," said Noem.

Why did President Trump issue the ban?

The U.S. government assesses that Harvard University supports violence, exhibits antisemitic attitudes, and collaborates with the Communist Party of China. The evaluation that Harvard is antisemitic is closely related to a number of incidents that have previously occurred on that campus.

Harvard students have been increasingly holding pro-Palestine demonstrations since last year. The protests by the students were triggered by the Israel-Hamas war that erupted on October 7, 2023. The students are outraged by the brutality of Israel in the Gaza Strip, which has now resulted in the deaths of over 53,000 Palestinians.

The pro-Palestine demonstration was primarily driven by Columbia University. The movement then spread to campuses across the United States, including several elite and prestigious institutions such as New York University, University of California, Harvard University, Yale University, Pennsylvania University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and George Washington University.

The demands of the students vary. Among other things, they are calling for university management to terminate relationships with companies supplying weapons to Israel. The students also demand that they stop research funding from Israel for projects that support the Israeli military and that they be more transparent regarding funds from Israel.

Speeches and various pro-Palestine attributes have become a dominant sight on campuses across the United States. The protests have been ongoing since the beginning of 2024 and gained increasing global attention in April of last year.

The campus authorities and the U.S. Government, overwhelmed, requested the police to disperse the protest. The involvement of the police was deemed brutal, resulting in the arrest of hundreds of students on the grounds that the protest constituted an act of anti-Semitism.

Since the outbreak of the Hamas-Israel war, the positions of academic institutions in the United States on the Palestine-Israel issue have come under scrutiny. Two presidents at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania were asked to resign amid public pressure and dissatisfaction from politicians in the U.S. Congress regarding their views on the issue of Israeli genocide.

Previously, Harvard was also embroiled in the Palestine-Israel conflict issue. In January 2023, Harvard retracted its decision to deny a scholarship to human rights activist Kenneth Roth, who has been critical of Israel. Since December 2023, pressure on Harvard has intensified.

How is Harvard affected by pressure from the Trump administration?

So far, the United States has halted grants or federal contracts to Harvard amounting to nearly 3 billion US dollars. Since taking office, US President Donald Trump has utilized federal research funds to overhaul the academic world. According to Trump, the academic world has been tainted by anti-American ideology, Marxism, and "radical left" views.

On May 20, 2025, the Trump Administration once again halted grant funding for Harvard University amounting to 60 million US dollars. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assessed that this Ivy League campus in Massachusetts failed to address antisemitism and ethnic discrimination on campus.

"Because Harvard University continues to fail to address antisemitic harassment and racial discrimination, HHS has suspended several multiyear grants for their full duration," wrote HHS.

According to the US Government, Harvard continues to consider ethnicity when reviewing student applications. Additionally, the campus has been assessed as allowing discrimination against Jewish individuals.

The cessation of this grant funding is accompanied by a prohibition for Harvard to accept international students. Noem also requested that Harvard submit personal data of students to the government. This data will be used for cross-checking with photographs of protests over the past five years. If the campus has submitted the data, the permit will be restored.

How did Harvard respond to the pressure?

Harvard refuses to hand over the personal data of international students to the government. Harvard stated that the government's actions are not in accordance with the law. They subsequently filed a counter-lawsuit against the government in court.

Harvard is suing the U.S. Government on the grounds of violating the First Amendment of the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act. "This is an important step to protect the rights of foreign students and the academic community," said Harvard President Alan Gerber in a written statement.

On Friday (23/5/2025) evening local time, Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States successfully obtained a temporary court ruling. Federal Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary order that President Trump is not permitted to expel foreign students. Meanwhile, the hearing is scheduled to take place on Thursday (29/5/2025).

What impact will the Trump vs Harvard feud have on international students?

The Trump administration's decision has left thousands of international students at Harvard in uncertainty regarding the continuation of their studies. At Harvard, there are 6,800 foreign students from 140 countries, accounting for 27 percent of the total student population at the institution.

Overall, there are 1.1 million international students in the U.S., accounting for 6 percent of the total student population. International students are being asked to transfer to other colleges. However, the process is not that simple. There are also concerns that the government may take similar actions at other campuses.

Indonesian students at Harvard who have completed their first year and wish to continue to their second year, as well as those who are about to start their studies, are also at risk. Fellow Indonesian students are reminding each other not to travel abroad to prevent their student visas from being revoked by the government.