Posted on 05/02/25
| News Source: The Hill
Washington, D.C. - May 2, 2025 - President Trump on Friday announced plans to strip Harvard University of its tax-exempt status, escalating his feud with the Ivy League school.
“We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The declaration comes after his administration reportedly asked the IRS to revoke Harvard’s status last month, after Trump had suggested the idea on social media.
Tax exemption is reserved for, among other categories, religious, charitable and educational organizations that meet 501(c)(3) qualifications with the IRS.
The president’s comments on the tax exemption status appear as part of an ongoing salvo with Harvard and higher education, particularly Ivy League schools. The White House has threatened funding at top schools as a way to pressure the institutions over diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and other issues. Harvard has hit back, suing over halted funding.
“Tax-exempt status, I mean, that’s a privilege. It’s really a privilege. And it’s been abused. By a lot more than Harvard, too,” Trump told reporters in April, calling Harvard “a disgrace” and also pointing to Columbia University and Princeton University.
The president has also floated a wider crackdown on the tax-exempt status of other entities, suggesting immigrant rights groups or environmental rights groups “could be” on the table.