Trump Announces Tentative $500 Million Deal with Harvard for Trade Schools Amid Funding Dispute
Trump Announces Tentative $500 Million Deal with Harvard for Trade Schools Amid Funding Dispute
President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the White House had reached a tentative agreement with Harvard University, under which the prestigious institution would pay approximately $500 million to establish and operate a series of trade schools. The unexpected declaration, made to reporters in the Oval Office, comes amidst escalating tensions and ongoing federal investigations into the university.
“We’re in the process of getting very close, Linda’s finishing up the final details, and they’d be paying about $500 million,” Trump stated, referring to Education Secretary Linda E. McMahon. He added that Harvard would be “operating trade schools, and they’ll be teaching people how to do AI and lots of other things. Engines, lots of things.”
Trump suggested the agreement would signify that Harvard’s “sins are forgiven,” a clear reference to the series of federal investigations and the administration’s recent moves to block $2.7 billion in federal grants and contracts to the University. Just this Monday, the White House initiated federal suspension and debarment proceedings against Harvard, a highly unusual step.
Despite the President’s optimistic tone, he cautioned that the agreement had not been finalized, stating, “All you have to do is paper it, right?” A Harvard spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the President’s announcement.
The purported deal loosely mirrors a prior settlement with Brown University, which involved a $50 million payment for workforce development. However, the scale and direct involvement in running trade schools by Harvard would be significantly different.
The announcement also follows months of stalled talks and previous claims by Trump that a deal was imminent, none of which materialized. Harvard’s top leaders, including Corporation chair Penny Pritzker and Provost John F. Manning ’82, had expressed skepticism or declined to comment on the status or terms of any potential settlement as recently as Sunday, with Pritzker noting she had “absolutely no idea” how negotiations might conclude and expressing doubt about a $500 million payout.
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