Trump threatens to exempt taxes at Harvard University after freezing a financing of $ 2 billion

President Donald Trump called for the loss of Harvard University in losing a valuable tax break, hours after his administration announced that it is freezing more than $ 2 billion (1.5 billion pounds) in the federal funds of the Elite Foundation.

The White House demanded the oldest university in the United States to make changes in employment, admission and teaching practices that it says will help fight anti -Semitism on the campus.

Since his return to office, Trump has pushed to reshape the best universities by threatening to block federal funds that have been mostly appointed to research.

Harvard University has become the first major American university to reject its administration demands on Monday, accused of the White House of trying to “control” its community.

At a publication on Tuesday morning on social media, Trump threatened to overcome the blocking of federal funds and target the tax exemption at Harvard University.

Universities, as well as many charities and religious groups, are exempt from paying federal income taxes. Nevertheless, this valuable tax breakdown can be removed if groups are engaged in political activities or moved away from their declared purposes.

“Harvard University may lose its tax exempt and subject to tax as a political entity if it continues to pay an inspiring political, ideological and terrorist payment? “

Harvard’s exemption loss may cost millions of dollars every year.

Later on Tuesday, White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said Trump wanted the university to apologize for what his administration says is continuing to tolerate anti -Semitism.

“[Trump] “He wants to see Harvard apologize, and Harvard should apologize,” Levit said.

The comprehensive changes requested by the White House have transformed Harvard’s operations and gave up a great deal of control of the government.

Her message to Harvard on Friday, It was obtained by the New York Times, He said that the university failed to raise the level of “intellectual and civil conditions” that justify federal investment.

The message included 10 categories of proposed changes, including:

• Reporting students to the federal government who are “hostile” for American values
• Ensuring that each academic department is a “diverse point of view”
• Renting an external party accredited by the government in the programs and audit
• Examination of staff faculty to impersonate

President Trump accused the leading universities of failing to protect Jewish students when the campus of universities in all parts of the country stumbled through protests against the war in Gaza and the United States’ support for Israel last year.

The message requests the university to take disciplinary measures for the “violations” that occurred during the protests.

In explaining its rejection of these demands, the President of Harvard University, Alan Garper, said that the university will not give in its independence or abandon its constitutional rights under the first amendment that protects freedom of expression.

“Although some of the demands set by the government aim to combat anti -Semitism, the majority represents the direct government organization of” intellectual conditions “at Harvard University.

Shortly after sending his resistance letter, the Ministry of Education said it freezes $ 2.2 billion of grants and $ 60 million in Harvard University contracts immediately.

“The Harvard statement today strengthens the disturbing Mental mentality that is a settlement in the most famous universities and colleges in our nation,” the Ministry of Education said in a statement.

The statement said that disrupting the learning suffered by the campus is unacceptable and harassing the Jewish students is unbearable.

Harvard’s history professor, David Armitage, told the BBC that the school can resist to be the richest university in the United States and it was not very high that it cannot be paid for freedom.

“It is not an unexpected act of unfounded activity and revenge by the Trump administration, which does not want anything more than silent freedom of expression,” he said.

In March, the Trump administration said it is reviewing nearly $ 256 million in federal contracts and scholarships at Harvard University, and an additional $ 8.7 billion in multi -year grant obligations.

Harvard’s professors filed a lawsuit in response to this, they increased that the government is attacking illegal freedom of expression and academic freedom.

Harvard, which has $ 53 billion, is one of the number of elite universities at the intersection of the new presidency.

Columbia University in New York City approved a number of demands last month after the White House withdrew 400 million dollars in federal funding.

Voting By Gallup suggested last summer This confidence in higher education was decreasing over time between Americans from all political backgrounds, partially driven by the increasing belief that universities are paying a political agenda. The decrease was particularly sharp among Republicans.