The fight between the Trump administration and Harvard escalated yet again on Friday, with the president promising a big move in a Truth Social post: "We are going to be taking away Harvard's Tax Exempt Status. It's what they deserve!" Trump has floated the idea previously, and reports emerged last month that the White House had asked the IRS to look into it. The new post suggests things have progressed, though Trump didn't offer specifics. Any such move by the IRS would surely be challenged in the courts, reports ABC News.
The Wall Street Journal points out that the federal tax code prohibits the president and other top officials from asking the IRS, either directly or indirectly, to take such specific action. However, the White House has said the decision to investigate the school's tax-exempt status happened independent of the president. The school "has 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status as an educational institution, which means that it doesn't pay income taxes on any net earnings and that its donors can get income-tax deductions," per the Journal. Losing the status could cost the school about $500 million per year, according to USA Today.
The Washington Post notes that Trump also took a shot at Harvard on Thursday when he spoke to graduates at the University of Alabama. "It is clear to see the next chapter of the American story will not be written by the Harvard Crimson," he said. "It will be written by you, the Crimson Tide." Trump's threat on Friday comes after Harvard sued the Trump administration over its efforts to freeze federal funding and take control over some school policies. Harvard was the first school to fight back, but opposition appears to be growing among the nation's top universities. (More Harvard University stories.)
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