Trump reveals Harvard University feud may be coming to an end as he floats ‘historic’ deal

President Donald Trump has teased that his months-long battle with Harvard University may soon be over, announcing that a deal could emerge ‘over the next week or so.’

Thus far, Harvard has been one of the main enemies of the Trump administration, which has lobbed numerous serious accusations at the Ivy League college and yanked billions of dollars in federal funding.

The accusations range from the university not doing enough to constrain antisemitism on campus, to it admitting students with views hostile to American values.

More than three months after the White House’s initial letter to the university calling for major reform, Trump appears optimistic that an agreement is possible.

‘We have been working closely with Harvard, and it is very possible that a Deal will be announced over the next week or so,’ Trump wrote Friday afternoon on Truth Social.

‘They have acted extremely appropriately during these negotiations, and appear to be committed to doing what is right,’ he added. ‘If a Settlement is made on the basis that is currently being discussed, it will be “mindbogglingly” HISTORIC, and very good for our Country.’

Harvard hasn’t publicly responded to Trump’s sentiments. Daily Mail approached the university for comment.

This comes as a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from revoking Harvard’s ability to admit foreign students.

President Donald Trump is looking to reach a deal with Harvard University ‘over the next week or so,’ after spending months accusing it of allowing antisemitism on campus and admitting foreign students with views hostile to America

Trump appeared optimistic and even said Harvard has ‘acted extremely appropriately’ during negotiations with the White House over potential policy changes

This comes as a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from revoking Harvard’s ability to admit foreign students

On June 4, Trump issued an executive order called Enhancing National Security by Addressing Risks at Harvard University, which suspended the school’s student visa program – calling it a ‘privilege granted by our government, not a guarantee.’

Harvard has nearly 6,800 international students, making up more than 27 percent of its enrollment in the past academic year.

About one-third of those international students are from China, and Trump has previously accused Harvard of ‘coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party,’ a claim echoed in the executive order.

Friday’s preliminary injunction by US District Judge Allison Burroughs extends a prior temporary block she issued last month against the administration for stopping international students from coming to Harvard.

Outside of Trump’s fears about foreign influence on Harvard, he has also expressed concern that university leaders have fostered a breeding ground for antisemitism, making Jewish students feel uncomfortable and unsafe. 

A large encampment of pro-Palestine students protesting the Israel-Hamas war formed on Harvard Yard during the 2024 spring semester and lasted for three weeks.

The students wanted the university to divest from the Israeli government and Israeli businesses, but the administration did not acquiesce.

Even before the encampment in April and May of 2024, there were widespread protests at Harvard immediately following the Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

One such protest descended into a confrontation where pro-Palestine demonstrators surrounded a Harvard MBA student and repeatedly shouted ‘shame’ at him.

Pictured: Pro-Palestine protestors gather in front of a building at Harvard University on October 14, 2023, days after Hamas attacked Israeli civilians, killing 1,200 and taking hundreds of hostages

Pictured: Demonstrators at Cambridge Commons show support for Palestinians on April 25, 2025, nearly two years into Israel’s war in Gaza

Claudine Gay, Harvard’s president during much of this turmoil, resigned in January 2024 after she refused to condemn students calling for the genocide of Jews when pressed by members of Congress.

Gay presided over billions of dollars in lost potential donations from wealthy Jewish families appalled by what took place on campus.

That’s now on top of the approximately $3.2 billion in grants and contracts Harvard has lost out on from the federal government since Trump took office.

Harvard sued the Trump administration for the federal funding freeze and denies accusations of alleged bias against Jewish students.

Lawyers for Harvard also argue that the attempted revocation of foreign student visas violates its free speech and due process rights under the US Constitution as well as the Administrative Procedure Act, a law that constrains what federal agencies are allowed to do.

Harvard says the Trump administration is retaliating against it because it refused to obey the government’s demands to control the school’s governance, curriculum and the ‘ideology’ of its faculty and students.

The federal government sent a letter to Harvard President Alan Garber on April 11 claiming that the school has ‘failed to live up to both the intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment.’

The letter demanded university leaders adopt merit-based admissions policies, stop admitting students who are ‘hostile to American values’, enforce viewpoint diversity in all academic departments, and immediately end all DEI programs.

Officials explained that they wanted what amounted to progress reports on these goals sent to them so they could ensure that their orders were being followed.

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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk