In latest Harvard vs Trump showdown, US launches probe into Ivy’s exchange program

“The American people have the right to expect their universities to uphold national security, comply with the law, and provide safe environments for all students,” Rubio added as this marked the latest attempt by the Trump administration to pressure the Ivy League university.

The State Department is probing the Exchange Visitor Program at Harvard, which enables the institution to host international students, scholars, and faculty for short-term academic engagements. If Harvard’s sponsorship status is revoked, it would significantly hinder the university’s ability to bring overseas talent to its Cambridge, Massachusetts campus.

Rubio said that retaining the “privilege” of sponsoring exchange visitors comes with responsibility. Harvard, he said, must not “compromise” the national security interests of the United States.

This is not the first time Harvard has clashed with the Trump administration during Donald Trump’s second term as president. In June, a federal judge blocked an administration attempt to bar international students from enrolling at the university. Additionally, Harvard is suing the federal government over the loss of more than $2 billion in research grants.

The renewed tension with one of America’s top academic institutions also follows the Trump administration’s intensified focus on tackling antisemitism on college campuses. Trump has repeatedly accused Harvard of failing to protect Jewish students, claiming the school violated the Civil Rights Act amid a wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

“Harvard is an Anti-Semitic, Far Left Institution, as are numerous others, with students being accepted from all over the World that want to rip our Country apart,” Trump wrote in an April post on Truth Social. “The place is a Liberal mess, allowing a certain group of crazed lunatics to enter and exit the classroom and spew fake ANGER AND HATE.”

While Trump suggested in late June that a potential deal with Harvard could be on the table, no agreement has emerged so far.