United States President, Donald Trump, has announced plans to seek $1bn in damages from Harvard University, escalating his administration’s long-running dispute with the institution. The announcement follows a report by the New York Times that the Trump administration had retreated from an earlier demand for a $200m payment during negotiations with the university. Officials in the Trump administration have accused Harvard of failing to adequately address antisemitism during pro-Palestinian protests on campus, an allegation the university has rejected. In April last year, Trump revoked about $2bn in research grants awarded to Harvard and froze its federal funding. Other Ivy League institutions, including Columbia, Penn, and Brown, have reached agreements with the Trump administration to protect threatened funding rather than pursue legal action.

Source: Nigerian Tribune February 03, 2026 10:25 UTC