Trump says deal with Harvard may include $500 million payment
US President Donald Trump shared that his administration was close to reaching a deal with Harvard University that could involve a $500-million payment by the Ivy League institution, potentially becoming one of the largest settlements reached so far between the White House and US universities, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump noted that Education Secretary Linda McMahon was finalizing the details of the agreement. He said Harvard would not only make a financial payment but also commit to operating trade schools.
“We’re in the process of getting very close, and Linda’s finishing up the final details. 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,” Trump said, without providing further details about the deal.
The Trump administration has clashed with several universities over issues including campus diversity policies, transgender rights, and last year’s student-led pro-Palestinian protests against the Israel-Gaza war. Since then, a number of negotiations have been underway for months, focusing on schools’ policies and federal funding.
Some universities have already reached agreements with the administration. Columbia University agreed to pay more than $220 million, while Brown University pledged $50 million to support local workforce development.
Harvard has taken a different path. In June, it sued the administration over a ban on international students entering the United States, with a federal judge later blocking the policy. In September, another court overturned a decision by the Trump administration to cut billions of dollars in federal research funding to the university.
