Trump Is Said to Have Dropped Demand for Cash From Harvard

Source: New York Times

Trump Is Said to Have Dropped Demand for Cash From Harvard

Hours after The Times reported that President Trump had lowered the bar for a deal, he denied backtracking and made new threats against Harvard.


Harvard has faced internal pressure for months from faculty, students and alumni who view President Trump as an authoritarian and any deal as an act of capitulation. Sophie Park for The New York Times

By Michael C. BenderMichael S. Schmidt and Alan Blinder
Michael C. Bender, Michael S. Schmidt and Alan Blinder have been covering the Trump administration's efforts to force changes at elite universities.

Published Feb. 2, 2026
Updated Feb. 3, 2026, 1:19 a.m. ET

President Trump has backtracked on a major point in negotiations with Harvard, dropping his administration's demand for a $200 million payment to the government in hopes of finally resolving the administration's conflicts with the university, according to four people briefed on the matter.

Harvard has been the top target in Mr. Trump's sweeping campaign to exert more control over higher education. Hard-liners in his administration had wanted Harvard to write a check to the U.S. Treasury as part of a deal to address claims that university officials mishandled antisemitism, The New York Times previously reported. But Harvard, wary of backlash from liberal students and faculty, has rejected the idea.

Trump administration officials have indicated in recent days that the president no longer expects such a payment, according to the Harvard and Trump officials briefed on the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.

But shortly before midnight, six hours after The Times reported that Mr. Trump had backtracked, he claimed the story was wrong and attacked The Times and Harvard. He said he was now seeking $1 billion "in damages" from Harvard and that the administration's investigations of Harvard should now be criminal. ... "This should be a Criminal, not Civil, event, and Harvard will have to live with the consequences of their wrongdoings," Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

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Michael C. Bender is a Times correspondent in Washington.

Michael S. Schmidt is an investigative reporter for The Times covering Washington. His work focuses on tracking and explaining high-profile federal investigations.

Alan Blinder is a national correspondent for The Times, covering education.

A version of this article appears in print on Feb. 3, 2026, Section A, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Trump Ending Push for Cash From Harvard. Order Reprints Today's Paper Subscribe

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/us/politics/trump-harvard-payment.html

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https://www.nytimes.com/by/michael-c-bender
https://www.nytimes.com/by/michael-s-schmidt
https://www.nytimes.com/by/alan-blinder

They need to change that headline, because:

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But shortly before midnight, six hours after The Times reported that Mr. Trump had backtracked, he claimed the story was wrong and attacked The Times and Harvard. He said he was now seeking $1 billion "in damages" from Harvard and that the administration's investigations of Harvard should now be criminal.
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