Harvard responds after Trump admin asks IRS to revoke its tax-exempt status

Harvard University’s tax-exempt status is on the line as President Donald Trump has reportedly asked the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to revoke its 501(c)(3) status.

Millions in funding and grants have been affected in the standoff between the Ivy League school and the administration, which has called it out over its failure to address antisemitism on campus.

BREAKING: Fox News reports the Trump administration and the Justice Department have requested that the IRS revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status, potentially costing the university billions. pic.twitter.com/yibDehP0RJ

— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) April 16, 2025

Trump again directed a social media post this week at Harvard and threatened its tax-exempt status.

“Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’ Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!” he wrote.

Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting “Sickness?” Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!

From Donald Trump… pic.twitter.com/1sgmNcqAW9

— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 15, 2025

In another post, Trump called the elite school a “joke” as he blasted the decision to hire former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

“These two Radical Left fools left behind two cities that will take years to recover from their incompetence and evil. Harvard has been hiring almost all woke, Radical Left, idiots and ‘birdbrains’ who are only capable of teaching FAILURE to students and so-called ‘future leaders,’” Trump wrote.

“Many others, like these Leftist dopes, are teaching at Harvard, and because of that, Harvard can no longer be considered even a decent place of learning, and should not be considered on any list of the World’s Great Universities or Colleges. Harvard is a JOKE, teaches Hate and Stupidity, and should no longer receive Federal Funds,” he added.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that $2.7 million in grants to Harvard were being canceled, calling the Massachusetts institution “unfit to be entrusted with taxpayer dollars.”

Kristi Noem threatens to revoke Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students if the university refuses to share information on visa holders who engaged in violent protests.

“It’s a privilege to have foreign students attend Harvard, not a guarantee” pic.twitter.com/1w5CteeIAY

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 17, 2025

“Harvard bending the knee to antisemitism — driven by its spineless leadership — fuels a cesspool of extremist riots and threatens our national security,” said Noem in a statement. “With anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology poisoning its campus and classrooms, Harvard’s position as a top institution of higher learning is a distant memory. America demands more from universities entrusted with taxpayer dollars.”

Noem wrote a “scathing letter demanding detailed records on Harvard’s foreign student visa holders’ illegal and violent activities by April 30, 2025, or face immediate loss of Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification,” a DHS press release noted. “The $800,303 Implementation Science for Targeted Violence Prevention grant branded conservatives as far-right dissidents in a shockingly skewed study. The $1,934,902 Blue Campaign Program Evaluation and Violence Advisement grant funded Harvard’s public health propaganda. Both undermine America’s values and security.”

A Harvard spokesperson responded Thursday morning, “The government has long exempted universities from taxes in order to support their educational mission. The tax exemption means that more of every dollar can go toward scholarships for students, lifesaving and life-enhancing medical research, and technological advancements that drive economic growth. There is no legal basis to rescind Harvard’s tax-exempt status.”

Senior Staff Writer
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.

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