President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he plans to revoke Harvard University's tax-exempt status, according to NBC News. Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social, stating "We are going to be taking away Harvard's Tax Exempt Status. It's what they deserve!" This move follows Harvard's lawsuit against the Trump administration over its decision to freeze more than $2 billion in funding to the university, as NBC News details.
The administration's funding freeze came after Harvard refused to comply with what it called "critical reforms" demanded by the Trump administration. Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton responded that revoking the university's tax-exempt status would "endanger our ability to carry out our educational mission" and result in reduced financial aid for students and abandonment of critical medical research programs, according to NBC's coverage of the university's position on the matter.
Harvard has assembled an A-list team of conservative legal heavyweights to fight its case against the Trump administration, a strategy that marks a significant departure from its previous approach to high-profile legal battles, as reported by The New York Times. Unlike its previous headline-grabbing legal fight in 2022 when Harvard defended affirmative action using the firm Wilmer Hale, the university has now hired lawyers with connections to conservative Supreme Court justices and even to President Trump himself. This legal team includes a former Texas solicitor general who argued in favor of abortion restrictions, former clerks to Justice Clarence Thomas, and a one-time adviser to the Trump Organization, the Times reveals. Legal observers cited by the New York Times suggest Harvard stands a good chance of winning on legal merits, though the case could face challenges if it reaches the Supreme Court.
Harvard President Alan Garber has strongly pushed back against Trump's threat, according to The Wall Street Journal. Garber argued that such a move would send "a very dire" message to educational institutions, suggesting that political disagreements could pose existential threats to many schools, as the Journal reports. The university spokesman confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that Harvard has not received any formal notice from the IRS about a review of its tax-exempt status.
Trump's repeated comments about Harvard's tax-exempt status breach the norm that insulates political officials from decisions about specific taxpayers, including tax-exempt organizations. According to the Wall Street Journal's coverage, the tax code prohibits the president and other senior officials from directly or indirectly asking the IRS to conduct or stop audits or investigations, with violations punishable by fines and prison time. In response to Trump's threats, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats have requested an investigation into whether the president has improperly targeted Harvard's tax-exempt status, as the Journal notes in its reporting.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/us/harvard-trump-conservative-lawyers.html
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/trump-harvard-tax-exempt-status-3b114fb7
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