President Donald Trump on Wednesday intensified his campaign against Harvard University, calling for a sharp reduction in international student admissions and proposing that federal support be redirected toward trade schools. The remarks follow the administration's suspension of billions in grants and its attempt to block Harvard from enrolling foreign students amid a broader crackdown on elite universities.
"I think they should have a cap of maybe around 15%, not 31%," Trump said in the Oval Office. "We have people who want to go to Harvard and other schools, [but] they can't get in because we have foreign students there."
Harvard reported that 27.2% of its student body in the 2024-2025 academic year were international students. The president's latest remarks signal growing pressure on the Ivy League institution, which has come under fire from Trump and Republican lawmakers over its handling of pro-Palestinian protests and diversity initiatives.
"Harvard is treating our country with great disrespect," Trump stated. "I want Harvard to be great again."
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has frozen approximately $3.2 billion in federal grants and contracts with Harvard, including $2.2 billion halted last month and $100 million in contracts cut Tuesday. The university has responded with federal lawsuits seeking to reinstate its funding and reverse restrictions on enrolling foreign students.
A federal judge temporarily restored Harvard's ability to enroll international students last week. A hearing on whether to extend that order is scheduled for Thursday.
The president also questioned the national origins of international students, linking some to "very radicalized" parts of the world. "If somebody is coming from a certain country and they are fine, I hope most of them are, but many won't be," Trump said. "They are taking people from areas of the world that are very radicalized, and we don't want them making trouble in our country."
He added: "We don't want to see shopping centers exploding. We don't want to see the kind of riots that you had."
Trump is also targeting Harvard's $53 billion endowment, arguing the university's wealth-acquired in part through taxpayer-subsidized investments-should be taxed. The House has passed a provision in Trump's 2026 federal budget that increases taxes on university endowment earnings. If passed by the Senate, Harvard could face an additional $850 million in annual tax liabilities.
"They're taking $5 billion and I'd rather see that money go to trade schools," Trump said. "Everyone's coming up to me saying, 'We love the idea of trade schools. With that kind of money... you can have the best trade schools anywhere in the world.'"
Trump has also demanded Harvard dismantle its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, curb the influence of professors, and ban face coverings at campus protests.
"They are totally anti-semitic at Harvard as you know, and some other colleges, too, in all fairness to them," Trump claimed.
