US President Donald Trump has once again launched a fresh salvo at Harvard University, this time calling on the school to reveal the names and nationalities of its international students. In his latest remarks, Trump questioned why Harvard receives large amounts of federal funding despite collecting high tuition fees from foreign students.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump described the demand as a “reasonable request,” arguing that the university gets “billions of dollars” from the US government. His comments add to the growing tensions between the former president and the Ivy League institution over its funding and student body.
Trump questioned why Harvard hasn’t disclosed that nearly “31% of their students come from other countries, some not friendly to the US.” He claimed these countries don’t contribute anything to their citizens’ education at Harvard and have no plans to do so. He added that the public was never informed about this and insisted that the university should reveal the names and nationalities of those students, especially since it receives billions in federal funding.
“We want to know who those foreign students are, a reasonable request since we give Harvard BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, but Harvard isn’t exactly forthcoming. We want those names and countries,” the post read.
Trump’s comments came shortly after a federal judge stopped his administration’s plan to prevent international students from studying at Harvard. US District Judge Allison D. Burroughs in Boston issued a temporary order on Friday blocking the policy. She agreed with Harvard’s claim that the rule would cause serious and immediate harm to the university.
Earlier that same day, Harvard had filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, calling the policy a clear violation of both the US Constitution and federal law. The university argued that removing international students would seriously damage Harvard and affect thousands of students who are in the U.S. on visas.
Harvard strongly defended its international community, stating, “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”
In a letter to the Harvard community, the university’s president, Dr. Alan M Garber, described the policy as illegal and unnecessary. He said it put the futures of thousands of students and researchers at risk and warned that it sends a troubling message to others studying in the US.
Many viewed the Trump administration’s action as part of a larger attempt to challenge institutions that prefer to stay independent of political influence.
Responding to the ruling, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said that “unelected judges have no right to stop the Trump Administration from exercising their rightful control over immigration policy and national security policy.”
Although Harvard has won this round, the White House still has the option to appeal the decision. The university currently has around 6,800 international students, making up about 27% of its student population.