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Trump's Latest Comment About Harvard Will 'Set Off a Full on Panic in Cambridge'

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  May 02, 2025 12:30 PM

President Donald Trump on Friday again took aim at Harvard’s tax-exempt status, a move that comes after the Ivy League school filed a lawsuit late last month against his administration over a funding freeze triggered by a breakdown in discussions about combatting antisemitism on campus. 

“We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “It’s what they deserve!”

In its lawsuit, Harvard argued the federal government is violating its constitutional rights over the funding freeze, saying the move is "unlawful and beyond the government’s authority." 

It was not immediately clear if the I.R.S. was in fact moving forward with revoking Harvard’s tax-exempt status, a change that could only typically occur after a lengthy process. Federal law prohibits the president from directing the I.R.S. to conduct tax investigations, and I.R.S. employees who receive such a command are required to report it to an inspector general.

After Mr. Trump first publicly called for Harvard to lose its tax exemption last month, White House officials said that the I.R.S. would make its own conclusion about whether to do so.

Spokespeople for the I.R.S. and Treasury Department, which oversees the tax collector, did not respond to a request for comment. A Harvard spokesperson said in a statement that there was “no legal basis to rescind Harvard’s tax-exempt status” and that “such an unprecedented action would endanger our ability to carry out our educational mission.”

With its tax-exempt status, Harvard not only does not have to pay most taxes, but donors can write off gifts to the school on their own tax returns. Losing the status would not only force Harvard to start paying tax to the federal government but could cause donations to dry up. (NYT)