'Billions of dollars has been paid to Harvard. How ridiculous is that?' says US president
US President Donald Trump said Friday that Harvard University will "have to change its way" after his administration attempted to halt university's ability to enroll foreign students.
"Billions of dollars has been paid to Harvard. How ridiculous is that? Billions. ...And they have $52 billion as an endowment. ...So, Harvard is going to have to change its ways," Trump told reporters at the White House.
His remarks came a day after Secretary of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Kristi Noem said the department would take away the university's ability to admit foreign students.
Noem said the Trump administration is holding Harvard accountable for "fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus."
However, a US judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from revoking the university's ability to enroll foreign students.
When asked whether he is also considering stopping other universities from accepting foreign students, Trump said: "We're taking a look at a lot of things."
The Trump administration has threatened to freeze federal funding for many universities, including Harvard, citing campus protests in support of Palestine and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
The administration has pulled $3 billion in funding and threatened to take away Harvard's tax-exempt status.
Harvard has sued the administration in response, alleging that the funding freeze violates the First Amendment and federal law, which bars the president from directly or indirectly ordering the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to conduct or terminate an audit or investigation.
