Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, May 27: In a fiery Memorial Day message, US President Donald Trump renewed his attack on Harvard University, threatening to strip the Ivy League institution of billions in federal funding and redirect the money to trade schools across the country.

“I am considering taking three billion dollars of grant money away from a very antisemitic Harvard, and giving it to trade schools all across our land,” Trump posted, without providing specific evidence or a timeline.

Trump also demanded a list of Harvard’s foreign students, claiming he wants to assess how many of them are ‘radicalized lunatics’ who should be barred from re-entering the US. He said such scrutiny follows what he described as a ‘ridiculous expenditure of billions of dollars.’

His administration had already moved to block Harvard from enrolling international students, but a federal judge put the decision on hold pending a hearing this week.

The president’s ongoing clash with Harvard stems from its resistance to federal oversight in admissions and hiring practices. He has repeatedly accused the university of promoting left-wing ideology and anti-Semitism, although Harvard has consistently denied such allegations.

Trump initially put $9 billion in federal funding under review and has since frozen $2.2 billion in grants along with $60 million in official contracts. A Harvard Medical School researcher has also reportedly been targeted for deportation amid the escalating row.

With Harvard being a global academic powerhouse having produced 162 Nobel laureates Trump’s threats have drawn sharp criticism from education leaders and civil rights advocates. However, the president appears determined to use the standoff as part of his broader campaign against elite academic institutions and liberal establishments ahead of the 2024 elections.