Former President Donald Trump has once again warned that he may strip Harvard University of its tax-exempt status, intensifying a standoff with the Ivy League school over its resistance to recent federal directives.

In a statement made Friday on his social media platform, Trump declared from Palm Beach, Florida:

“We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!”

This renewed threat comes after Harvard reportedly declined to follow the administration’s demands for major policy changes, including overhauls in its leadership, admissions process, and a review of diversity initiatives on campus.

In response, the administration has already blocked over $2 billion in federal grants to the university based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. According to sources, the Treasury Department had previously instructed a senior IRS official to begin reviewing Harvard’s tax status after Trump’s comments in mid-April.

Although the White House insists that the IRS operates independently, and that federal law bars executive branch officials from directly influencing audits, Trump’s public pressure on Harvard has not gone unnoticed.

This latest clash is part of the administration’s broader effort to fight antisemitism on college campuses. Yet, critics say it also serves Trump’s political agenda of challenging elite institutions, a stance that resonates with his support base.

During a recent speech at the University of Alabama, where he delivered the commencement address, Trump said:

“The next chapter of the American story will not be written by The Harvard Crimson. It will be written by you, the Crimson Tide.”

The Harvard Crimson is the university’s student newspaper, while the Crimson Tide is Alabama’s well-known football team.

Beyond tax issues, the Trump administration is also pushing to ban Harvard from enrolling international students, further pressuring the university.