🇺🇸🇺🇸✉️❗️ NEW: Trump Officials cite error as trigger for clash with Harvard University!
➡️ Harvard University received a letter from the Trump administration on April 11 containing sweeping demands on hiring, admissions, and curriculum related to antisemitism. The letter, sent by Sean Keveney, acting general counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services and a member of the administration’s antisemitism task force, shocked Harvard officials, who believed they were still in constructive talks with the administration. The university publicly rejected the demands on April 15.
➡️ Shortly afterward, a Trump official called Harvard claiming the letter was “unauthorized” and should not have been sent, though its contents were confirmed as authentic. Conflicting accounts emerged within the administration, with some officials saying the letter was sent prematurely, while others insisted it was meant for internal circulation only.
➡️ Harvard argued the letter appeared official—it was signed by three federal officials, used official letterhead, and came from a senior government inbox. The university maintained it had no reason to doubt its legitimacy, even if it was a mistake.
➡️ In retaliation for Harvard’s public rejection, the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal funding to the university and threatened its tax-exempt status. A senior White House official defended the administration’s actions and accused Harvard of overreacting instead of continuing discussions. The administration said future talks could resume if Harvard apologized and complied with certain measures.
➡️ Despite claims the letter wasn’t meant to go out, the administration did not withdraw it, and the confrontation escalated, sparking a high-stakes battle between one of America’s top universities and the White House.
— NYT
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