WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that he is considering redirecting $3 billion in federal research grants away from Harvard University and investing the funds instead in U.S. trade schools, escalating an already bitter clash between his administration and one of the nation’s most prominent academic institutions.
Trump announced the potential move in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, less than a week after his administration attempted to block Harvard from enrolling foreign students — part of what the university has called a sweeping campaign to undermine its academic independence.
“Harvard has become a haven for Radical Left idiots and bird brains,” Trump wrote, alleging the school has aligned itself politically with the Democratic Party.
The $3 billion in question primarily consists of federal grants for scientific and biomedical research, much of it allocated through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) following a competitive application process involving independent scientists. Such research is not typically conducted at trade schools, making the legal and logistical path to repurposing the funds unclear.
A federal judge on Friday temporarily halted the administration’s efforts to strip Harvard of its ability to admit foreign students, a move that could have impacted over 7,000 visa holders currently enrolled at the Cambridge, Massachusetts university. Harvard said the policy would have a “devastating effect” on its operations and international student body, which represents roughly 27% of total enrollment and a substantial source of tuition revenue.
The broader effort reflects Trump’s intensifying crackdown on elite academic institutions, which he and other Republicans have accused of promoting left-wing ideological bias. In recent weeks, the administration has not only frozen nearly all of Harvard’s federal research grants, but also proposed:
- Revoking Harvard’s tax-exempt status,
- Imposing new taxes on its endowment, and
- Launching civil rights investigations into whether the school discriminates against “white, Asian, male, or straight” applicants or employees.
Harvard has responded by filing a lawsuit to restore the frozen funding, calling the administration’s actions unconstitutional violations of free speech and unlawful political retaliation. The university maintains that its hiring and admissions practices comply fully with federal law.
Multiple federal agencies — including the NIH, the U.S. Forest Service, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense — have reportedly issued letters to Harvard in recent weeks stating that the grants were being suspended because they “no longer effectuate agency priorities.”
Neither the White House nor Harvard University offered additional comment on Monday. It remains unclear whether Trump’s latest remarks refer specifically to the grants already frozen or additional funding still pending disbursement.
While the feasibility of rerouting biomedical research funds to vocational training programs remains legally ambiguous, Trump’s rhetoric signals a potential shift in federal education policy, favoring skills-based learning and workforce training over traditional academic research — particularly at elite institutions.
The confrontation comes amid broader attempts by the Trump administration to reshape U.S. academia, media, and legal institutions to align more closely with its conservative agenda, putting universities like Harvard directly in its crosshairs.
