Harvard stares down Trump's tax threat as other schools take note

Higher ed is on high alert as the nation's premier university prepares to take on the fight of its life

CAMBRIDGE, MA - March 15: A person holds up a sign from their car regarding President Trump and Harvard University on April 15, 2025, in Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA.
Can Harvard stand up to Trump's once-in-a-generation attack on the American collegiate system?
(Image credit: Erica Denhoff / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Even within the elite Ivy League, Harvard University stands out as the country's premier institution of higher education. As such, the Trump administration has targeted Harvard in its assault on collegiate infrastructure. But the university has positioned itself to fight back, both in the courts, where it is suing the administration over frozen federal funds, and in the court of public opinion. President Donald Trump's effort to revoke the school's tax-exempt status has "no legal basis," a university spokesperson said, and could have "grave consequences for the future of higher education."

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Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.